domstol

Domstol is the Swedish term for a court of law. A domstol is a public institution that administers justice by interpreting and applying the law in civil, criminal and administrative matters. Courts are independent from the government and the executive branch, and they function under the authority of the judiciary to safeguard due process and equal protection before the law.

In Sweden, the judiciary is organized into general courts and administrative courts. General courts handle civil and criminal cases and are organized as district courts (tingsrätt) and appellate courts (hovrätt). The Supreme Court (Högsta domstolen) serves as the highest instance for civil and criminal appeals. Administrative courts handle disputes involving public authorities and private individuals; they include administrative courts (förvaltningsrätt), appellate administrative courts (kammarrätt), and the Supreme Administrative Court (Högsta förvaltningsdomstolen) as the final appellate authority.

Judges are professional jurists; in many cases, lay judges (nämndemän) from the public participate in criminal trials at the district and appellate levels, helping to represent the community’s interests alongside professional judges.

Procedures in a domstol typically involve written submissions and oral hearings, presentation of evidence, and examination of witnesses. Parties have the right to legal counsel, to present arguments, and to appeal decisions to the next level. Judgments are normally reasoned in writing and are enforceable through standard legal mechanisms.

Courts are publicly funded institutions and operate with a high degree of transparency, under constitutional guarantees of due process and the independence of the judiciary. They function within a framework aimed at equal access to justice and impartial application of the law.