Culture
Nathalie Tackling: Sint Maarten Minister of Justice since 2024
Nathalie Tackling, an attorney and former chair of the Central Voting Bureau, became Sint Maarten's Minister of Justice for the Soualiga Action Movement on 26 November 2024.
By SXM Daily ·
Nathalie Tackling is an attorney who has been Sint Maarten's Minister of Justice since 26 November 2024. She holds the post for the Soualiga Action Movement (SAM) in the second cabinet of Prime Minister Luc Mercelina. Before entering government she chaired the Central Voting Bureau and the board of the country's general pension fund.
Illustrative photo: Richie Diesterheft, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Education
Tackling holds two master's degrees in law, The Daily Herald and SMN News reported: an LL.M. in Trade and Corporate Law from Maastricht University and an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law from George Washington University Law School. Her thesis dealt with biotechnology patents and the treatment of human genes and DNA in intellectual property law.
Legal career
She began as a civil-law litigator at a local firm and later worked in the Corporate and Banking Unit of the law firm VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne. From 2016 she was a legal adviser at the Council of Advice (Raad van Advies), advising on draft legislation and constitutional matters. She also set up the Saba Legal Aid Desk, which gives Saba residents free legal advice. In April 2019 she founded her own practice, Tackling Law, both outlets reported.
Elections and pensions
Tackling was appointed chair of the Central Voting Bureau (Hoofdstembureau) for seven years, with effect from 25 October 2021, succeeding Nancy Guishard-Joubert, The Daily Herald reported. She was still its chair in 2024. She also sat on the board of the general pension fund APS (Algemeen Pensioenfonds Sint Maarten), and according to APS chaired it from 10 January 2023 until 26 November 2024, when she stepped down to join the government.
Minister of Justice
After the August 2024 snap election, SAM leader Franklin Meyers confirmed that Tackling had accepted the party's offer to become Minister of Justice. Governor Ajamu Baly swore her in on 26 November 2024, according to the Cabinet of the Governor.
Sources
- https://www.kabgsxm.com/news-entry.aspx?id_news=271&language=EN
- https://dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl/2024/11/26/kabinet-mercelina-ii-ingezworen/
- https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/the-patient-is-in-your-care-governor-tells-new-cabinet-at-swearing-in-tues
- https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/attorney-nathalie-tackling-is-minister-of-justice-candidate
- https://smn-news.com/index.php/st-maarten-st-martin-news/45959-exclusive-head-of-voting-bureau-nathalie-tackling-to-be-the-next-justice-minister.html
- https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/tackling-appointed-chair-central-voting-bureau
- https://smn-news.com/index.php/st-maarten-st-martin-news/46540-aps-announces-the-resignation-of-nathalie-tackling-as-chairperson-and-the-appointment-of-mr-jason-grant-as-board-member.html
Source: https://www.kabgsxm.com/news-entry.aspx?id_news=271&language=EN
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