Mr Florian van Hout (F.J.C.)

Florian van Hout is a PhD candidate at Maastricht University's Department of Public Law. His researches the constitutional position and powers of caretaker governments under the supervision of Prof Joost Sillen and Dr Eva van Vugt.

Florian studied Law at Leiden University, where he subsequently completed the master’s programme in Constitutional and Administrative Law summa cum laude.

His thesis on the regulation of the exploratory phase of government formation was awarded the Constitutional Law Association’s Thesis Prize 2023/2024 and won second prize in the Leiden Law School faculty thesis competition. The thesis was also published as an outstanding thesis in the Nederlands Juristenblad. In 2026, this work also earned Florian the 2026 Thesis Prize of the Dutch Lawyers Association (NJV).

Florian teaches constitutional law in the bachelor’s programme in Dutch Law and the master’s programme in Constitutional and Administrative Law. This year, together with Marijn van der Sluis, he also coaches Maastricht University’s delegation to the Studentenparlement.

Before starting his PhD research, Florian worked as a teaching and research assistant in the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law at Leiden University.