Courts of Denmark

Entrance to the Danish Supreme Court, located in Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.
The Eastern High Court in Copenhagen, Zealand

The Courts of Denmark (Danish: Danmarks Domstole, Faroese: Danmarks Dómstólar, Greenlandic: Danmarkimi Eqqartuussiviit) is the ordinary court system of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Courts of Denmark as an organizational entity was created with the Police and Judiciary Reform Act (Politi- og Domstolsreformen) taking effect 1 January 2007 which also significantly reformed the court system e.g. by removing original jurisdiction from the High Courts and by introducing a new jury system.

The Courts of Denmark is composed of the ordinary courts consisting of the Supreme Court (Højesteret), the three high courts: the Western High Court (Vestre Landsret) the Eastern High Court (Østre Landsret), the High Court of Greenland (Greenlandic: Kalaallit Nunaanni Eqqartuussisuuneqarfik, Danish: Grønlands Landsret), the Maritime and Commercial Court (Sø- og Handelsretten), the Court of Judicial Registration (Tinglysningsretten), the Special Court of Indictment and Revision (Den Særlige Klageret), the 24 district courts, the Court of the Faroe Islands, The Court in Greenland and the four Greenlandic Circuit Courts. Part of the Courts of Denmark are also three boards: the Appeals Permission Board (Processbevillingsnævnet), the Sideline Employment Board and the Judicial Appointment Council. Finally the Danish Court Administration is vested with the joint administration of the whole organization.[1]

The courts of Greenland and the Faroe Islands constitute semi-autonomous parts of the Courts of Denmark and are governed by separate but largely similar procedural codes.

Outside the ordinary court system and the joint administration framework of the Courts of Denmark, a separate collective labour dispute court system exists and a number of quasi-judicial bodies exist, some of which are exempt from judicial oversight.

  1. ^ Domstolsstyrelsen (2009-03-20). "The Danish judicial system". domstol.dk. Retrieved 2012-01-13.