Annual Report

The Supreme Court's Annual Report 2024

The Supreme Court is the country's highest court and one of three branches of government. It is headed by the Chief Justice and has an additional 19 justices. The Supreme Court hears all types of cases and is the country’s highest constitutional court, administrative court, dispute tribunal and criminal court.

In 2024, the Supreme Court received 2,135 appeals, with just over half of them being in criminal cases.

Well over half of the 2,135 appeals were appeals against orders (kjennelser) and decisions (beslutninger), on procedural issues that are normally decided by three justices in the Supreme Court's Appeals Selection Committee following written proceedings.

More remand cases in the Appeals Selection Committee

A clear trend in 2024 was more appeals against remand in custody. In 2024, the Supreme Court received 275 such appeals, compared to 193 in 2023. This accounts for about 60% of the orders in criminal cases.

In 2024, there was a noticeable increase in appeals against remand in custody. The Supreme Court received 275 suh appeals, up from 193 in 2023. These appeals made up about 60% of the orders in criminal cases.

“In 2024, the district courts saw more remand cases, and the courts of appeal experienced a rise in appeals against orders and decisions in criminal cases. This trend is also evident in the Supreme Court. While the exact cause is unclear, increased resources for the police and prosecuting authority may have led to more investigations and cases being brought to court”, says Chief Justice Toril Marie Øie.

Issues of principle in divisions and a grand chamber

The Supreme Court examines issues across all areas of law, and as in previous years, a wide range of cases was decided in 2024. For an appeal to proceed to an oral hearing, leave must be granted by the Appeals Selection Committee, the main criterion being that the case involves issues of principle. The Committee may also set aside a judgment from the Court of Appeal if it suffers from obvious errors. In 2024, 20 cases were decided in this manner. 

If a case raises a legal issue of principle, the Appeals Selection Committee refers it to a division of the Supreme Court for an oral hearing. This process applies regardless of whether the case is of great societal importance or concerns everyday problems, and the value at stake is not emphasised.  

In 2024, the Supreme Court decided 42 civil and 37 criminal cases following oral hearings by a division of five justices. Additionally, two civil cases were heard by the Supreme Court as a grand chamber of eleven justices, concerning body searches in prison and ownership rights in Karasjok municipality, respectively.

More sexual offence cases

In 2024, the Supreme Court heard many sexual offence cases, with 12 out of 37 criminal cases falling into this category. The appeals challenged both the interpretation of the law and the sentencing. Several rulings clarified the penalty levels for different types of offences.

“It's hard to say why there were so many sexual offence cases specifically in 2024. One explanation might be the sharp rise in reported sexual offences since 2014. New technology also creates new ways to commit crimes, leading to new legal issues. For example, in 2024, a man was banned from using Snapchat for a period due to assaults committed through that platform", Toril Marie Øie reports.

Among the civil cases, the majority involved compensation and insurance matters. 

Besides statistics, the Annual Report includes articles, case presentations and summaries.