Supreme Court of Norway
The Supreme Court of Norway ( Bokmål : Norges Høyesterett ; Nynorsk : Noregs Høgsterett ) in Oslo is the Supreme Court of Norway , and was founded 1815th The basis for this was Article 88 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway , which prescribed an independent judiciary. In addition to its function as the last instance for civil and criminal proceedings, it also reviews the legality of the cabinet's actions and the constitutional conformity of parliamentary decisions .
function
It is the highest court in Norway. In its function as a court of appeal, it can only decide on cases that have previously been negotiated in district courts ( Tingrett ) or regional courts ( Lagmannsrett ). Nevertheless, the Supreme Court has the prerogative to decide for itself which appeals it wants to hear. These are usually cases of fundamental importance, for example for setting legal standards for the lower courts, but also for the actions of the Supreme Court itself.
Norwegian citizens do not have the right to be heard by the Supreme Court, as it is assumed that the universal human rights article on a fair trial will be met by the lower courts.
structure
The Supreme Court is headed by a Chief Justice who presides over 20 judges. The current chief judge has been Toril Marie Øie since 2016 .
A committee of three judges decides which cases should be heard. The same committee also decides on procedural issues relating to contested decisions by lower courts.
A normal case of the Supreme Court is decided by five judges. However, the chief judge may order that all judges hear the case. Such a plenum usually deals with fundamental questions or cases that could change its own precedents .