The institute that focuses on Public Law is as broad as the field itself. The Institute of Public Law has six departments, each with its own research agenda.

Law and peace in the work of Hans Kelsen. A re-evaluation of Kelsen’s legal philosophy: legal pacifism as tacit meaning of his Pure Theory of Law

Professor Christa Tobler and Jacques Beglinger have written two new publications.

European Law is a one-year Master’s specialisation at the internationally renowned Leiden Law School at Leiden University. The programme distinguishes itself by its broad intra-disciplinary approach, covering institutional, constitutional as well as internal market and competition law of the EU in addition…

On Friday 3 February, Minister Bruins Slot of the Interior and Kingdom Relations appointed Fatma Çapkurt, of the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law, to the Dutch State Committee on the Rule of Law. Chaired by Henk Kummeling, Rector Magnificus of Utrecht University, this State Committee…

This book is the first to incorporate current academic literature and case law on European, transnational, and international media law into a comprehensive overview intended primarily for students.

Criminal Law and Criminology is is a specialisation of the master’s programme Rechtsgeleerdheid (Law) at the renowned Leiden Law School of Leiden University.

Constitutional and administrative law is a specialisation of the master’s programme Rechtsgeleerdheid (Law) at the renowned Leiden Law School of Leiden University. This programme looks closely at the interaction between national and European law.

How can the law provide legal safeguards for the save introduction of quantum technology for consumers, and how can these safeguards be examined and interpreted through interdisciplinary collaboration?

On Monday 7 September 2015 Leiden Law School welcomed a group of students from Qatar University College of Law. The delegation was invited by the The Hague project

In an op-ed and an interview in Dutch newspaper ‘de Volkskrant’, Reijer Passchier, Assistant Professor in Constitutional Law at Leiden University and Professor of Digitalisation and the Democratic Constitutional State at the Open University, stresses that Europe needs to take radical steps to tackle…

Systematic investigations into religious precepts, worldly rules of law and legal practices in the Muslim world show clearly how these societies deal with justice and injustice. Sharia, the Islamic ‘legal system’, plays an important role in this context.

Law and Digital Technologies (L.L.M.) examines the legislation and governance regarding internet, computers, persuasive technologies and ambient intelligence.

The Department of Child Law and Health Law is a knowledge centre dedicated to academic research and education for both students and professionals in two fields: child law (and children's rights) and health law.

On 7th November 2018 Kristel van Kruisbergen was guest speaker for an event organised by the European Union Student Association (EUSA) on ‘The Rule of Law: the situation in Poland and Hungary’.

The Institute for Philosophy at Leiden University is host to the NWO programme,

This edited publication aims at reflecting on the future of discussions on the applicability of international law to States’ use of ICTs in the context of highly politicised discussions at the multilateral level and offering practical suggestions for the European Union to pursue its objectives in this…

The Department of Company Law and Financial Law provides education and conducts research in areas including company and corporate law, financial contract- and liability law, corporate governance, sustainability, Dutch and EU financial regulatory law, mergers and acquisitions, insolvency law, and international…

How to explain the apparent high success rates of the EU infringement procedures, which are the major tools for enforcing EU law, against the member states?

This volume was edited by Jeroen Duindam, Jill Harries, Caroline Humfress, and Nimrod Hurvitz.

Leiden University opened its doors in 1575 – the very first university in the Netherlands. The law faculty was involved from the start and so in 2025 they, too, were celebrating their 450th anniversary.

At a time of urgent threats to both the planet and multilateralism, Brian McGarry (Assistant Professor of Public International Law at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies) has published a new volume on the past and future of international environmental law.

Amy Strecker assesses the institutional framework for landscape protection, analyses the interplay between landscape and human rights, and links the etymology and theory of landscape with its articulation in law.

Press freedom in Indonesia is still under pressure, despite the demise of Soeharto’s regime in 1998

We would all like to live in a world in which individuals feel safe, conflicts are resolved peacefully and the interests of future generations are taken into consideration. At Leiden University legal scholars investigate to what extent public international law meets the needs of a globalised society.…

State utilization of 'hukum adat' and its implication for the Indonesian rule of law

European labour law has an unmistakable influence on national law. This applies even more to the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), as it has implications for the application of European law in the Member States and with it the interpretation of national law. Collected Cases…

The current rule of law debate in the EU occupies not only the mind of European policy and lawmakers, but also of legal practitioners on the ground. The Europa Institute, in collaboration with the Meijers Committee, therefore organized a Leiden Law Exchange (LLX) to facilitate the exchange of ideas…

The NET-ROL project builds on the EU's definition of the rule of law to investigate the role of networks in law-making, executive decision-making, and the judiciary. It examines how these networks influence the weakening of the rule of law. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, the project explores…

The Summer School on International Humanitarian Law is designed by the Grotius Centre Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law. Registration is now open!

In August 2018, the fourth edition of the teaching and learning materials

This book explores the relationship between tragedy and the justice that is sought in moral philosophy and the law. It shows how our moral and legal judgments can be seen as aesthetic or tragic judgments, and it considers what kind of passion or vocation moves the science and scholarship of law.

Mental health issues in the Dutch court: The criminal court as a border guard between the regular Mental Health System and the Criminal Justice system?

How can we assist Universitas Indonesia's department of International law to improve their educational and applied research programs on Transnational Law, Asset Recovery and International Investment Arbitration, with an eye on Indonesia’s security and rule of law reform agenda and the needs of the…

The Faculty of Law of Leiden University, together with the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and the Hague Academy for Local Governance, have started their cooperation on the Matra Rule of Law Training Programme II.

The Research Handbook on Labour, Business and Human Rights Law edited by prof. Janice Bellace of the University of Pennsylvania and ass. prof. Beryl ter Haar of Leiden University. The book is publisehd in Edward Elgars series on Human Rights.

As Europe’s digital regulatory landscape continues to expand, scholars from across Europe and beyond gathered in Florence for a two-day Expert Roundtable on 'Rule-of-Law-Centered Enforcement of the EU Digital Acquis' — an event designed not around lectures or PowerPoints, but around the core academic…

In the past years access to EU law has been significantly enhanced via services such as EUR-Lex. This development not only allows for easy retrieval of individual legal acts, but for collecting information about the evolution of EU law in the aggregate as well.

On Thursday 25 January 2018 the Europa Instituut in Leiden hosted a round table session with the title “Securing the rule of law in Poland: which role for Europe?”. It was a small meeting bringing high-level experts together under Chatham House Rule.

The Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology is committed to international cooperation and exchange.

Vasiliki Kosta acted as one of two expert mentors for the working group on academic freedom in the ‘Our Rule of Law Academy’.

On 16 May 2024, EU Talks?!, a student-based initiative, was delighted to organise its first session with the following theme: ‘Rule of Law in the EU: Beyond Poland and Hungary'.