The Role of the Judge in Times of Crisis: The Case of the Belgian Magistracy During the first German Occupation Between 1914 and 1918

Traditionally, the figure of the judge does not take the centre-stage in general historical works. Perhaps this lack of interest can largely be explained by Montesquieu’s antique conception of a judiciary exclusively subject to the law. What could be the leeway of a power whose action is theoretically circumscribed by the law and procedures, and whose nature is essentially reactive?