Decades ago, Godfrey Bomans wrote that "wherever one stands, one always steps on someone's toes. That wisdom also applies to Jan Nolf. A few years ago, the European Network of Supreme Courts of Justice even called Flanders' most famous honorary justice a 'danger to justice'.

The heaven-defying judge celebrated his seventieth birthday. He did so, among other things, with a collection of essays for which many fine people were summoned: academics such as Paul Verhaeghe, politicians such as the ministers Vincent Van Quickenborne and Benjamin Dalle and, of course, also people from 'his' judiciary. They created a book like a kaleidoscope: all the essays, whether their angle is legal, criminological, philosophical, journalistic or ethical, together illuminate the (multi-)mediated phenomenon of justice.

Not a classic 'Liber Amicorum' !

Bart Nelissen and Honorary Justice Jan Nolf became acquainted a decade ago, given Bart's great interest (both academic, professional and journalistic) in the ups and downs of the Justice Department, and especially of the people who sit there. Devoting a book to this remarkable former justice of the peace was therefore an obvious choice for Bart.

Jan Nolf has an absolute allergy to flattery. It should not become a classic 'Liber Amicorum'. That was not really a problem. The apparently sometimes controversial (multi-)media presence of the former justice of the peace leaves few unmoved.

So in this "Festschrift," critics also dwell on the unusual life of this former justice of the peace. To the dismay of quite a few local dignitaries, he was "politically appointed" by a (jewish) liberal, minister Jean Gol in "traditional Catholic" Roeselare, but at his farewell was very kindly interviewed by the magazine 'Kerk en Leven' (Church and Life).

The (not yet) "bundled" Tweets of Honorary Judge Nolf, meanwhile, speak volumes for a decade about his outspoken nature: according to some a crypto-communist, according to others a dark-blue liberal - as the (left-wing) Bruges city magazine "Kan't?" (no. 2/19) titled as early as April 1985: "A Nolf in sheep's clothing…”.

Soon fellow parrhèsiast Philip Vanstapel, a lawyer at the Leuven Bar, also became involved in the project.

Together, they gathered a motley assortment of Belgian and Dutch authors, ranging from

- politicians of diverse parties (Federal Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne, Regional Minister of Media Benjamin Dalle, former State Secretary John Crombez),

- professors (Tom Decorte, Alain-Laurent Verbeke, Ivo Aertsen, Dirk Voorhoof, Frank van Dun, Randall Lesaffer, Eric Lancksweerdt, Paul Verhaeghe)

- academics (Ann-Katrien Oimann, Matthias Luijks, Grietje Van Buggenhout, Willem Possemiers)

- lawyers (Raf Jespers, Hugo Lamon, and Omar Souidi)

- (prosecutors & judges) magistrates (Diane Reynders, Frederic Blockx, Pierre Lefranc, Manuela Cadelli, Sietkse Dijkstra, Ria Mortier)

- to journalists (Pol Deltour of the VVJ, Paul Ruijs, Gust Verwerft),

- comedians (lawyer Bert Kruismans)

- and film directors (Erik Lamens).

You will have to look far in our Dutch-speaking region to find a legal work that has both PVDAers (lawyer Raf Jespers) and libertarians (Prof. em. Frank van Dun) speaking.

So it became a work that combines practical relevance with academic depth and the necessary social criticism as well as humor.

Co-author and lawyer Philip Vanstapel closed with a cautionary wink to mortality: 'No One Lives Forever', the anagram of NOLF.

The latter understood that very well...!

Editors:

Bart Nelissen

Bart Nelissen studied law and philosophy among other things and was associated with the Leuven Centre for Public Law from 2011 to 2021. Since 2022, he has been a lecturer at the Erasmus School of Law.

Philip Vanstapel

Philip Vanstapel has been active at the Bar since 2016 and a practice assistant in comparative law (KU Leuven) since 2018.

With many thanks to the unfailing inspiration and support of Thomas Blommaert, publisher at Uitgeverij EPO !