The Kongsberg District Court
The Courts of Norway have the role as third power of the State, prescribing them the duty to monitor the powers of the legislative and the executive. It is a fundamental right for anyone to have their case considered by an impartial and independent court.
As a court of law, Kongsberg has the duty and obligation to reach a decision in all the individual cases brought before it. The cases brought into the court system in Norway are divided as to whether they concern criminal law or civil law.
Criminal law mostly involves the rules laid down by the state for individual citizens, while civil law governs the relationships and transactions between citizens and between companies.
The Kongsberg Distict Court serves the local authorities Kongsberg, Flesberg, Rollag og Nore og Uvdal, serving a total population of appr. 30.000.
The Court’s decisions may be appealed to Borgarting Court of Appeal.
Other duties
Duties carried out by the Courts of Justice also include: probate cases, estate settlements, (joint property, bankruptcy etc.), partnership registrations, and notarial transactions.
Staff
The judicial staff consists of one appointed professional judges and two deputy judges. The president of the court appoints deputy judges for a period of up to about two years. The judges divide their time approximately equally between criminal cases and civil cases.
The administrative staff counts four employees. An administrative manager is leader of the administrative staff (archive, security, training, PR, CIT, general office, financial department etc), while the “sorenskriver” is the president of the district court.
Cases
In 2006 the court dealt with approximately 256 criminal cases with laymen and summary procedures (confession cases, remand in custody etc.) and 84 civil cases.
(The Government has set maximum standards for the duration of time from a case has been brought before the court until a decision has been made. The standard is 3 months for criminal cases (with laymen) and 6 months for civil cases. Kongsberg District Court reaches this standard both in the criminal and civil cases. (In 2006 the average duration was 3 months).)
Contact information:
Kongsberg District Court
Email kongsberg.tingrett@domstol.no
Telephone 32 73 12 24
Fax 32 72 00 14
Adress Storgt. 30, 3611 Kongsberg
More information about the courts of Norway at: http://www.domstol.no/