Supreme Court of Sweden
| Supreme Court of Sweden | |
|---|---|
| Högsta domstolen | |
Interactive map of Supreme Court of Sweden | |
| 59°19′34″N 18°03′59″E / 59.32611°N 18.06639°E | |
| Established | 15 May 1789 |
| Jurisdiction | Sweden |
| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Coordinates | 59°19′34″N 18°03′59″E / 59.32611°N 18.06639°E |
| Composition method | Government-appointed with parliamentary notification |
| Authorised by | Swedish Constitution |
| Judge term length | Life tenure with mandatory retirement at age 67 Senior judgeship for former justices by order of retirement |
| Number of positions | 16, by statute |
| Website | www |
| President of the Supreme Court | |
| Currently | Anders Eka |
| Since | 1 September 2018 |
The Supreme Court of Sweden (Swedish: Högsta domstolen, HD) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and with few exceptions, leave to appeal can be granted only when the case is of interest as a precedent.
The Supreme Court consists of 16 Justices (Swedish: justitieråd) who are appointed by the government, but the process is guided by an independent body, the Judges Proposals Board (Domarnämnden), which vets candidates and submits a list of recommended, highly qualified individuals after assessing their legal expertise and experience. The Board evaluates applicants, conducts interviews, and provides the government with proposals, ensuring professional merit, though the Executive branch of Government makes the final decision. Such practice of selecting judges by the Executive Branch is actually more common in most countries than the American way, which requires a confirmation by a Legislature.
The court as an institution is independent of the Riksdag, and the Government is not able to interfere with the decisions of the court.
Since 2018, justice Anders Eka serves as the chairman of the Supreme Court of Sweden.