Nord-Troms District Court


Nord-Troms District Court is a district court located in the city of Tromsø in Troms county, Norway. The court serves the part of the county located north of the Malangen fjord, plus the territory of Svalbard. This includes the municipalities of Tromsø, Karlsøy, Balsfjord, Storfjord, Gáivuotna – Kåfjord, Nordreisa, Skjervøy and Kvænangen. The court is subordinate to the Hålogaland Court of Appeal. The court is led by the chief judge Unni Sandbukt. This court employs a chief judge and nine other judges.
The court is a court of first instance. Its judicial duties are mainly to settle criminal cases and to resolve civil litigation as well as bankruptcy. The administration and registration tasks of the court include death registration, issuing certain certificates, performing duties of a notary public, and officiating civil wedding ceremonies. Cases from this court are heard by a combination of professional judges and lay judges. Cases from this district court may be appealed to the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

History

Starting around 1600, Troms county was divided into two district courts: Senja and Tromsø District Counrt, which were merged in 1755 into one court. When Tromsø became a kjøpstad in 1794, it was supposed to have its own court, although that didn't actually happen until 1838. In 1855, the district court was divided back to the historical Senja and Tromsø courts. In 1917, the Tromsø district court was divided into two: Malangen District Court and Lyngen District Court. In 1985, a new Tromsø District Court was established by the merger of Tromsø City Court and the Malangen District Court. In 1990, the Nord-Troms District Court was created when the Tromsø District Court was merged with the Lyngen District Court. Originally, it was called the Nord-Troms herredsrett, but in 2002, all courts of first instance in Norway changed their name tingrett, thus its present name is Nord-Troms tingrett.