The Chancellor of Justice is a government official found in some northern European countries, broadly responsible for supervising the lawfulness of government actions.

History

In 1713, the Swedish King

Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of ...

, preoccupied with fighting the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swe ...

, was residing in Bendery and had not set foot in Sweden in over a decade. In order to re-establish the domestic administration, which had fallen into disarray, he instituted the office of His Majesty's Supreme Ombudsman, which soon became the Chancellor of Justice. The office commenced operation on October 23, 1714 and the role of the official was to ensure that judges and public officials acted in accordance with the laws, proficiently discharged their tasks, and if not he could initiate legal proceedings for dereliction of duty. This was the origin of the ombudsman institution in Sweden. The current name was adopted in 1719, by the

Instrument of Government The Instrument of Government was a constitution of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. Drafted by Major-General John Lambert in 1653, it was the first sovereign codified and written constitution in England. Antecedence The ' ...

of the same year. The Chancellor acted only on behalf of the royal government. In the Instrument of Government of 1809, a counterpart to act on the behalf of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

was instituted as the

Parliamentary Ombudsman Parliamentary Ombudsman ( fi, Eduskunnan oikeusasiamies, sv, Riksdagens ombudsman, is, Umboðsmaður Alþingis, da, Folketingets Ombudsmand, no, Sivilombudet) is the name of the principal ombudsman institutions in Finland, Iceland, Denmark, ...

Duties

The duties of the Chancellor of Justice may include to: * be the Government's counsellor in legal matters; * be the State's representative in trials and other legal disputes; * receive complaints and claims for damages made against the State and decide on financial compensation for such damages; * act as ombudsman in the supervision of the authorities and the civil servants, and to take action in cases of abuse; * ensure that the limits of the freedom of the press and other media are not transgressed and to act as the only public prosecutor in cases regarding offences against the freedom of the press and other media; * act as the guardian for the protection of privacy.

Sweden

In Sweden, the Chancellor of Justice ( sv, Justitiekanslern) is a

government official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...

charged with representing the

Swedish government The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden ( sv, Konungariket Sveriges regering) is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Ministerappointed and dismissed by the Speaker of th ...

in various legal matters as the government's ombudsman. The Chancellor is appointed by the Government of Sweden and serves at the pleasure of the cabinet without belonging to the

spoils system In politics and government, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends (cronyism), and relatives (nepotism) as a reward ...

, the longest term in office thus far having been 22 years. The present Chancellor of Justice is Anna Skarhed, who entered office on December 9, 2009.

Finland

The Chancellor of Justice of Finland ( fi, Oikeuskansleri, sv, Justitiekanslern) is a Finnish government official who supervises authorities' (such as cabinet ministers and other public officials) compliance with the law and advances legal protection for Finnish citizens. The Chancellor investigates complaints against authorities' activities and may also start an investigation on his own initiative. The Chancellor attends cabinet meetings as a non-voting member to ensure that legal procedures and regulations are followed. The Chancellor has wide-ranging powers of oversight, investigation and prosecution. The Chancellor (and Deputy) is appointed by the President of Finland. The Chancellor is appointed for life, but is required to retire at the age of 68, in line with all other Finnish civil servants. The Chancellor of Justice from 2018 will be Tuomas Pöysti,

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

, replacing Jaakko Jonkka, LL.D.This section is based on the following references
The official page of Chancellor of Justice of Finland
retrieved 11-8-2007, an
Constitution of Finland (731/1999)
especially §§ 69, 106, 108, 110–114

Estonia

The Estonian Chancellor of Justice ( et, Õiguskantsler) is an independent supervisor of the basic principles of the

Constitution of Estonia Constitution of Estonia is the fundamental law of the Republic of Estonia and establishes the state order as that of a democratic republic where the supreme power is vested in its citizens. The first Constitution was adopted by the freely elect ...

and the protector of individual rights. The institution seeks to ensure that authorities fulfil the obligations deriving from the principles of the rule of law and protection of human and social rights, human dignity, freedom, equality and democracy. The Chancellor of Justice is appointed to office by the

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Just ...

(parliament) on the proposal of the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

for a seven-year term. The Current Chancellor of Justice is

Ülle Madise Ülle Madise (née Anton; born 11 December 1974) is an Estonian lawyer who has served as Chancellor of Justice since 2015. Madise is the daughter of former member of the Supreme Court of Estonia Tõnu Anton. In December 2021 Madise was re-appoint ...

, who has been in office since 2015.

References

External links

Chancellor of Justice (Finland)
- Official site
Chancellor of Justice (Sweden)
- Official site
Chancellor of Justice (Estonia)
- Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Chancellor Of Justice Government of Sweden Government agencies of Sweden Law of Sweden Chancellor Of Justice Legal professions