The Courts

The High Court of the Realm shall consist of up to 15 of the senior ordinary members of the highest court of justice in the realm (according to length of office) and an equal number of members elected for 6 years by the Folketing according to proportional representation. One or more substitutes shall be elected for each elected member. No member of the Folketing shall be elected a member of the High Court of the Realm, nor shall a member of the Folketing act as a member of the High Court of the Realm. Where, in a particular instance, some of the members of the highest court of justice in the realm are prevented from taking part in the trial of a case, an equal number of the members of the High Court of the Realm most recently elected by the Folketing shall retire from their seats.

The High Court of the Realm shall elect a president from among its members.

Where a case has been brought before the High Court of the Realm, the members elected by the Folketing shall retain their seats in the High Court of the Realm for the duration of such case, even if the period for which they were elected has expired.

Rules for the High Court of the Realm shall be provided by statute.

The High Court of the Realm shall try such actions as may be brought by the King or the Folketing against Ministers.

With the consent of the Folketing, the King may also cause other persons to be tried before the High Court of the Realm for crimes which he may deem to be particularly dangerous to the state.

The exercise of judicial authority shall be governed only by statute. Extraordinary courts of justice with judicial authority shall not be established.

The administration of justice shall always remain independent of executive authority. Rules to this effect shall be laid down by statute.

The courts of justice shall be empowered to decide any question relating to the scope of the executive’s authority; though any person wishing to question such authority shall not, by taking the case to the courts of justice, avoid temporary compliance with orders given by the executive authority.

Questions relating to the scope of the executive’s authority may by statute be referred for decision to one or more administrative courts, except that an appeal against the decision of the administrative courts shall be referred to the highest court of the realm. Rules governing this procedure shall be laid down by statute.

In the performance of their duties the judges shall be governed solely by the law. Judges shall not be dismissed except by judgement, nor shall they be transferred against their will, except in such cases where a rearrangement of the courts of justice is made. A judge who has completed his 65. year may, however, be retired, but without loss of income up to the time when he is due for retirement on account of age.

In the administration of justice, all proceedings shall to the widest possible extent be public and oral.

Laymen shall participate in criminal proceedings. The cases and the form in which such participation shall take place, including which cases shall be tried by jury, shall be provided for by statute.