Hålogaland Court of Appeal


The Hålogaland Court of Appeal is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Tromsø. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark as well as the island territories of Jan Mayen and Svalbard. These areas constitute the Juridical District of Hålogaland, which has nearly a half a million residents. The court has 16 full-time judges plus a number of other support staff members. The Court is headed by a lawspeaker, currently by Monica Hansen Nylund. The administration of the Court is managed by the Norwegian National Courts Administration.
Because of the great distances both at land and at sea in Northern Norway, the Court deals with many cases related to fishery and land rights. Northern Norway is also where the "three peoples" meet. The cultural variations demand bigger efforts of the Court's judges, among other the ability to understand different ways of living and thinking. Also lingual variations represent a challenge.

Location

The Court has its seat in Tromsø, the capital of Troms county and the largest city in Northern Norway. Additionally, the Court permanently sits in the towns of Bodø and Mosjøen. The Court may also sit in other places within its jurisdiction as needed.
The Court takes appeals from 14 District Courts from the region : Øst-Finnmark District Court, Indre Finnmark District Court, Hammerfest District Court, Alta District Court, Nord-Troms District Court, Senja District Court, Trondenes District Court, Ofoten District Court, Vesterålen District Court, Lofoten District Court, Salten District Court, Rana District Court, Alstahaug District Court, and Brønnøy District Court.

History

Since the Middle Ages, the old Thing of Hålogaland met at Steigen in Nordland county. This assembly was dissolved in 1797. When the Hålogaland Court was re-established in 1890 it was moved to Tromsø in Troms county.