Ernst Hirsch Ballin

Ernst Maurits Henricus Hirsch Ballin (born 15 December 1950) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

Hirsch Ballin served as Minister of Justice and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs from 7 November 1989 until 27 May 1994 in the Cabinet Lubbers III. And as acting Minister of the Interior from 10 January 1994 until 18 January 1994 following the death of Ien Dales. He became a Member of the House of Representatives from 17 May 1994 until 1 June 1995 and served as a Member of the Senate from 13 June 1995 until 1 November 2000 when he resigned to become a Member of the Council of State serving from 1 November 2000 until 22 September 2006 when he resigned to become Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Balkenende III following the resignation of Piet Hein Donner. After the Dutch general election of 2006 and the inauguration of the Cabinet Balkenende IV he remained Minister of Justice serving from 22 September 2006 until 14 October 2010. He became again acting Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations from 23 February 2010 until 14 October 2010 following the resignation of Guusje Ter Horst.

After the Dutch general election of 2010, he made an appeal to his party not to work with Party for Freedom (PVV) to begin a cabinet formation for a new cabinet. After the success of the formation he was not offered a new position in the new Cabinet Rutte, and returned as a Professor at the University of Amsterdam and the Tilburg University as a legal scholar.

Hirsch Ballin is also an active member of the Justice Leadership Initiative.^[1]

Biography

Early life

Hirsch Ballin was born to a Jewish father Prof. Dr. Ernst Danny Hirsch Ballin, and a Roman Catholic mother. After completing his secondary education, he studied law at the University of Amsterdam and became a practicing Catholic.

He graduated in 1974, and he received a Master of Laws degree. He received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1979 for his dissertation on public law and policy, which focussed on fundamental issues surrounding the work of the Advisory Council on Government Policy (WRR).

Hirsch Ballin was a research assistant in constitutional law at the University of Amsterdam from 1974 to 1977. He was subsequently employed as a legal officer at the Ministry of Justice. In 1981 he was appointed professor of constitutional and administrative law at the Tilburg University.

Politics

Hirsch Ballin in 2009.

From 7 November 1989 to 27 May 1994 Hirsch Ballin served as Minister of Justice and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs in the Cabinet Lubbers III. In 1994 he offered his resignation, after turmoil about the Dutch Criminal Investigation Department.

After the Cabinet Kok I with a coalition of the Dutch Labour Party, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Democrats 66 came to power the Christian Democratic Appeal was pushed to the opposition and Hirsch Ballin became a Member of the House of Representatives a post he held until 1995.

During this period he was also professor of legislative issues at the Tilburg University. In 1995 he was appointed professor of international law at the same university and later became Member of the Senate. He was elected as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2005.^[2] In 2000 Hirsch Ballin was appointed to the Dutch Council of State and he resigned as a Member of the Senate.

Hirsch Ballin has held numerous other positions, among them government commissioner for the review of legislation, member of the Board of the Netherlands Atlantic Association, member of Committee 2004 (for the relationship between the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba) and deputy justice on the Central Appeals Tribunal and the Administrative Court for Trade and Industry. He has been editor of the Dutch administrative law journal "Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Bestuursrecht" and the book series European and International Law.

On 23 May 2008 satirical cartoonist Gregorius Nekschot was arrested which caused (inter)national controversy.^[3] Hirsch Ballin wanted to pass a bill on blasphemy, but failed. He was accused of causing the cartoonist to be brought to court for blasphemy to get a verdict to bypass the parliament.

Trivia

Ernst Hirsch Ballin is married; he and his wife have two children.

Decorations

• Order of the Netherlands Lion
  • Knight (8 October 1994)
• Order of Orange-Nassau
  • Officer (3 December 2010)
• Legion d'Honneur
  • Officer (30 Oktober 2014)

References

External links

Media related to Ernst Hirsch Ballin at Wikimedia Commons

• (in Dutch) Prof.Dr. E.M.H. (Ernst) Hirsch Ballin (Parlement & Politiek)