National Court (Iceland) Explained

Court Name:National Court
Native Name:Landsdómur
Established:1905
Jurisdiction:Iceland
Location:Reykjavík
Authority:Constitution No. 33/1944
National Court Act No. 3/1963
Terms:6 years (Parliament appointees)
Positions:15 (by statute)

The National Court (in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈlan(t)sˌtouːmʏr̥/) is a special high court in Iceland established in 1905 to handle cases where members of the Cabinet are suspected of criminal behaviour.[1]

Composition

The National Court has 15 members: five Supreme Court justices, the Reykjavík District Court President, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Iceland and eight people chosen by the Parliament every six years.[2]

Assembly

The court assembled for the first time in 2011,[3] to prosecute former Prime Minister Geir Haarde for alleged gross misconduct in the events leading up to the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis. On September 28, 2010, the Parliament decided, by 33 votes to 30, to charge Haarde.[4] Originally faced with six charges, he was convicted only on one that was considered to be a minor one.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Islands tidligere statsminister stilles for riksrett . . . Oslo, Norway . Norwegian . September 28, 2010 . September 28, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101001222900/http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/uriks/article3831879.ece . October 1, 2010 .
  2. News: Helgason, Gudjon . Dodds, Paisley . Iceland Ex-PM Faces Possible Charges in Meltdown . . . September 28, 2010 . September 28, 2010.
  3. Web site: Assembly of the High Court in April 2012 . Icelandreview.com . April 15, 2012 . July 28, 2012 . June 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200607100008/https://www.icelandreview.com/four-oh-four/ . dead .
  4. News: BREAKING NEWS: Iceland's Former PM Taken to Court . . September 28, 2010 . September 28, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110325065640/http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=368276 . March 25, 2011 . dead .