The State Administration Database

Supreme Court

This page shows the event history for this unit.

17.05.1814 Regular founding

Name: Supreme Court
Short name: Høyesterett
Affiliations: Other public administration body
Hierarchical level: Highest level
COFOG 03 Public order and safety
Superior body: The State
Main affiliation category: National single organization (without subordinated units)
Located: 301 Kristiania

The Constitution of 1814 gave Norway its own Supreme Court. Up until then the Supreme Court was located in the Danish-Norwegian capital Copenhagen (, although indeed with a Norwegian Chief Justice from 1799 by the name of Jakob Edvard Colbjoernsen). Later on his brother, Christian Colbjørnsen took over from 1802 - 1814.
Johan Randulf Bull was in September 1814 appointed Chief Justice, and the Norwegian Supreme Court was established in 1815.

The Court did not have its own building and rented different quarters where the members of the Court could assemble. These quarters were of low standard. The Justices worked mostly at home, and court documents were delivered to them daily by hand.

In 1846 the Supreme Court moved to Dronningsgate No. 18 B as a tenant of the widow Mrs. Boelling. This property was later taken over by Jacob B. Brun, who was a baker, and the Supreme Court was roomed here up until 1898 when the building was to be torn down.

The Storting (national assembly) had then decided to purchase a property on the elongment of Apotekergaten to site a new Courthouse in Kristiania (the name of the capital at this time). From 1898 and up until the Courthouse was finished in 1903, the Court was situated in the Palaeet in Fred Olsensgate No. 6. This was a beautiful building that had earlier accomodated members of the Royal Family. It was, unfortunately, totally damaged by fire in 1942.

Source: www.domstol.no (http://www.domstol.no/en/Enkelt-domstol/-Norges-Hoyesterett/The-Supreme-Court-of-Norway-/History-/)

17.11.1818* New superior organization (horizontal movement)

(The unit has changed superior.)

01.11.2002* Unit moving into, or out of, integrated organizations

(The unit moves into, or out of, an integrated organization or a group organization; the unit becomes part of a larger service / group of organizations.)
Main affiliation category: Body part of group subordinated ministry

Remarks

* = If a date is denoted with an asterisk (*), this implies that the date is not confirmed.

* = If a name is denoted with an asterisk (*), this implies a direct translation from Norwegian to English. The translation is thus not necessarily the official one (if any exists at all).

Comment to the change-of-name event: Sometimes the old and new name is the same. This occur when the translation to English haven’t taken into consideration minor Norwegian name change.