RSS
Home | High Court | Supreme Court of Norway
|
|
|
The Supreme Court of Norway is Norway's highest court. It has the entire kingdom of Norway as its jurisdiction. It is a court of appeal, i.e. cases can not be brought before the court if they are not tried in a district court and in most cases also in a regional court of appeal. Nevertheless, its primary role is not simply to be yet another hearing of the case that has been heard by two independent previous courts. The Supreme Court therefore has the prerogative to decide itself which cases it shall hear. This leads the court to hear cases of principal importance, where clarification is needed or where standards need to be set. Rulings set substantial precedence for the lower courts as well as the Supreme Court itself. As a subject to Norwegian law, one has no right to be heard in the Supreme Court, as the universal Human Rights article on a fair trial is believed to be satisfied with the district courts and the regional courts as courts of appeal. The Supreme Court has a committee consisting of three judges that decides what cases shall be tried in the Supreme Court. The same committee decides in procedural questions appealed from the lower courts. A normal Supreme Court case is decided by five judges. However the chief justice can decide that all judges hear the case. Such "plenum-cases" often involve fundamental questions or cases that might alter the Supreme Courts own precedence. The court is chaired by a Chief Justice with eighteen judges. The current chief justice is Tore Schei. |