Supreme Court of Sweden

Supreme Court of Sweden

The Supreme Court of Sweden ( _sv. Högsta domstolen) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and with few exceptions, leave to appeal can be granted only when the case is of interest as a precedent. The Supreme Court consists of 16 Councillors of Justice or "justitieråd" which are appointed by the government, but the court as an institution is independent of the Riksdag, and the government is not able to interfere with the decisions of the court.

History

Historically, all judicial power was vested in the Swedish monarchs, but in 1614 Gustavus Adolphus instituted Svea Hovrätt and authorized it to issue sentences in his name. Those not satisfied with sentencing were able to turn directly to the monarch, and appeals were handled by a committee of the Privy Council.

Under the authoritarian rule of King Gustav III, the Privy Council was suspended in 1789, and instead on May 19 His Majesty's Supreme Court was instituted on to handle legal matters. There were twelve judges of the court, half of which was to be nobles and half commoners. While in session, no more than eight judges could serve at the same time, and with equal numbers of nobles and commoners. In the court the king held two votes, as well as the deciding vote in case of a tie. However, this voting right was never exercised, except on the centennial of the court, when King Oscar II took part in the decision of one case.

Under the 1809 Instrument of Government, the judges of the Supreme Court became salaried civil servants, with the title of Councillor of Justice ("Justitieråd"). The Lord High Steward or Justiciar ("Riksdrots") became the new Minister of Justice and the foremost member of the court in 1809, but when the modern government ministries were created in 1840, the minister of justice were separated from the court. In 1844 the requirement on equal numbers of noblemen and commoners in service as judges of the court was dropped.

In 1909 the Government Court ("Regeringsrätten") and the Council on Legislation ("Lagrådet") were created to assume certain tasks that had been handled by the Supreme Court. The Government Court assumed responsibility for ruling on administrative cases and the Legal Council received the responsibility for judicial review (strictly speaking legal preview). At the same time the monarch lost voting power in the court.

The right to appeal cases to the Supreme Court was limited for the first time in 1915. A special dispensation was required before trying a minor civil or criminal case. Dispensation was to be given when there was a ruling that could become a precedent, and in 1945 this requirement was extended to all cases.

In 1948, the legal procedure was supplemented with oral proceedings and to satisfy the need for additional space the Supreme Court was moved in 1949 from the Royal Palace to the Palace of Bonde on Stadsholmen.

By the Instrument of Government of 1974 the Supreme Court discontinued the practice to award sentencing in the name of the Swedish monarch ("Kungl Maj:t"), as well as announcing them at the Royal Palace where they had been adorned with the royal seal.

Current composition

The current Councillors of Justice ( _sv. justitieråd) of the Supreme Court of Sweden are:

External links

* [http://www.hogstadomstolen.se/ Official website] (in Swedish and various languages)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Supreme Court of Norway — Høyesterett Established 1815 Jurisdiction Norway Location Oslo Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme Court of the Netherlands — Hoge Raad der Nederlanden Established 1838 Jurisdiction …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme Court of Croatia — Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia The Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia is located at the Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square Jurisdiction Croatia …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme court — For specific national supreme courts, see List of national supreme courts. A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court,… …   Wikipedia

  • Sweden — This article is about the country. For other uses, see Sweden (disambiguation). Kingdom of Sweden Konungariket Sverige …   Wikipedia

  • Sweden — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::Sweden <p></p> Background: <p></p> A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was… …   The World Factbook

  • Court of Appeal (disambiguation) — Court of Appeal may refer to:In Australia: *Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal *Court of Appeal of New South Wales *Supreme Court of Victoria, Court of Appeal *Court of Appeal of the Northern Territory of Australia *Supreme Court of… …   Wikipedia

  • Sweden v. Yamaguchi — otherwise known as in the matter of Marianne Wilson , or in the matter of Mary Ann Vaughn , is a highly complex decision in international family law which touches on questions in law still unresolved over fifty years later. The formal name of th …   Wikipedia

  • Sweden — /sweed n/, n. a kingdom in N Europe, in the E part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. 8,946,193; 173,732 sq. mi. (449,964 sq. km). Cap.: Stockholm. Swedish, Sverige. * * * Sweden Introduction Sweden Background: A military power during the 17th… …   Universalium

  • Court of appeal (disambiguation) — A court of appeal is an appellate court. Court of Appeal may refer to: In Australia: Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal, name used by the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory exercising its appeal jurisdiction Court of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”