Joint Court Reports Transition Year in 2025
The Joint Court of Justice says 2025 was a year of transition, strengthening, and modernization across Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Saba, and Statia.
In its 2025 Annual Report, titled The Court in Transition, the Court says work began on implementing a multi-year strategy for 2025 to 2028, focused on stronger organization, better processes, improved technology, quality control, staffing, and long-term professional development.
The Court also points to major steps in digitalization. These include digital access to cassation proceedings before the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, a pilot for online exchange of administrative law documents, and work on a publication portal to make more judgments available to the public.
Human resources also remained a major focus, with the Court working to improve recruitment, onboarding, career development, employee wellbeing, and training through the Court Academy.
For Sint Maarten specifically, the report notes several high-profile matters, including rulings connected to port development, a fatal shooting case, and a case involving unlawful statements by a Member of Parliament.
The report also shows that total case inflow across the Court remained almost unchanged compared to 2024, with 35,288 cases filed in 2025. Sint Maarten saw 4,130 incoming cases, compared to 3,621 the previous year.
The Court says it is handling more complex and time-intensive cases, while also carrying additional responsibilities such as supervision, disciplinary matters, training, and quality improvement.
Financially, the Court closed 2025 with a virtually neutral result of negative 13,000 Caribbean guilders, while warning that future investments are needed in staffing, salaries, secure IT systems, and digitalization.