Members of a local council's executive committee can serve as lay judges
Supreme Court judgment 29 November 2021, HR-2021-2342-A, (case no. 21-114979STR-HRET), criminal case, appeal against judgment.
A (Counsel Øystein Ola Storrvik) v. The Public Prosecution Authority (Counsel Inger Myklebust)
Justices: Falkanger, Bergsjø, Bergh, Høgetveit Berg, Steinsvik
A lay judge in a criminal case in the Court of Appeal was also member of the municipal executive committee. The Supreme Court found it clear that section 71 (9) of the Courts of Justice Act, which excludes certain categories of municipal employees from serving as a lay judge, is not applicable to members of the executive committee, who are popularly elected ombudsmen. Members of the executive committee may therefore serve as lay judges. The Court of Appeal was thus legally composed. The appeal against the Court of Appeal's procedure was dismissed.