Sunnhordland District Court ( no, Sunnhordland tingrett) was a
district court in
Vestland
Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. The court was based in the town of
Leirvik
Leirvik is a town and the administrative centre of Stord municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The town lies along the southern coast of the large island of Stord, along the Hardangerfjorden. The town gained "town status" in 1997. The town ...
in
Stord Municipality. The court existed from 1591 until 2021. It had jurisdiction over
Sunnhordland
Sunnhordland is a traditional district in the western region of Norway. The district consists of the southern coastal regions of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county). It includes the areas that surround the mouth of the Hardan ...
which included the municipalities of
Bømlo
Bømlo is a municipality in the southwestern part of Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Svortland. Other villages in Bømlo includ ...
,
Fitjar
Fitjar () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. Fitjar municipality includes the northern part of the island of Stord and the hundreds of surrounding islands, most ...
,
Kvinnherad
Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county.
The administrative centre of the mu ...
,
Stord
Stord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. Stord is sometimes called "Norway in miniature" since it has such a variety of landscapes: coastline, fjords, forests, agricultural ...
,
Sveio
Sveio is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. Sveio is a border district that is sometimes considered to be located in the traditional district of Haugalandet since it is located on the Haugalandet peninsula, but it is also considered to ...
, and
Tysnes
Tysnes () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Uggdal. Other population centres in Tysnes include the villages of Våge and Onarhei ...
. Cases from this court could be appealed to
Gulating Court of Appeal.
The court was a
court of first instance
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accorda ...
. Its judicial duties were mainly to settle criminal cases and to resolve civil litigation as well as
bankruptcy. The administration and registration tasks of the court included death registration, issuing certain certificates, performing duties of a
notary public, and officiating civil wedding ceremonies. Cases from this court were heard by a combination of professional judges and
lay judges.
History
The court was created in 1591 when district courts were established across Norway. On 26 April 2021, Sunnhordland District Court was merged with the
Haugaland District Court
Haugaland District Court ( no, Haugaland tingrett) was a district court in Rogaland and Vestland counties in Norway. The court was based in the town of Haugesund. The court existed from 2008 until 2021. It had jurisdiction over the northern par ...
to create the new
Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court
Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court ( no, Haugaland og Sunnhordland tingrett) is a district court located in Vestland and Rogaland counties in Norway. This court is based at two different courthouses which are located in Haugesund and Leir ...
.
References
{{use dmy dates, date=February 2022
Defunct district courts of Norway
Organisations based in Leirvik
1591 establishments in Norway
2021 disestablishments in Norway