The Supreme Court of Iceland
Judges of the Supreme Court
Back row: Björg Thorarensen, Karl Axelsson, Sigurður Tómas Magnússon, Ása Ólafsdóttir. Front row: Ingveldur Einarsdóttir, Benedikt Bogason, Ólafur Börkur Þorvaldsson.
Born 1965, appointed a Supreme Court judge from 1 October 2012. Vice-president of the Supreme Court from 27.05.2020 - 31.08.2020. President of the Supreme Court from 01.09.2020 - 31.12.2021 and from 01.01.2022 - 31.12.2026.
Students from Hamrahlíð College of Education, 1985.
Postgraduate degree in Law from the University of Iceland Faculty of Law 1990.
A representative at the Township of Hafnarfjörður 1990 -1992.
Representative of the District Court of Reykjanes, 1992 – 1995.
Assistant to the Supreme Court Judge 1995 - 1997
Director of the Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs 1997–2001.
A district court judge without a permanent establishment in 2001 – 2003.
Chief Judge of the District Court of West Iceland 2003 – 2012.
Presiding Supreme Court judge 2011-2012.
Main secondary jobs:
A sessional teacher in law of claim and procedure at the University of Iceland Faculty of Law from 1993, a lecturer from 2002, a senior lecturer from 2005 and a professor from 2016.
Chairman of the Reykjavík Child Protection Committee 1991-1998.
Registrar and staff member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee 1997-2017. Has been a member of the committee since 2017.
Chair of the Sanctions Committee 1997–2003.
Chair of the School Board at Hamrahlíð College 2000-2017
Vice-chair of the Child Protection Complaints Committee 2002-2013.
Chair of the Public Auditors' Council 2003-2008.
Chair of the Broadcasting Rights Committee 2004–2011
Chair of the Icelandic Lawyers' Association 2005 – 2008.
The Judicial Council, 2007 to 2012.
Alternate judge at the EFTA Court in Luxembourg, 2007–2012 and 2013-2022.
Chair of the Judicial Administration from 2017 to 2020
Born 1970, appointed a Court of Appeals judge from 25 February 2020 to 30 June 2020. Appointed Supreme Court judges from 23 November 2020.
Student from the Icelandic Trade School 1990.
Postgraduate examination from the University of Iceland Faculty of Law 1996.
A Master's degree (LL.M.) from the University of Cambridge in England 2000.
Representative at the Jóhann H. Níelsson Law Office, hrl. 1996.
Lawyer and owner of the Jóhann H. Níelsson Law Office, hrl. 1997–2003.
Lawyer and Owner, JP Lawyers 2003–2008.
Assistant to Minister of Justice Árnadóttir 2009–2010.
A lecturer (2006), senior lecturer (2012) and later professor (2018) at the University of Iceland Faculty of Law. Faculty head 2020.
Main extra jobs
The Equality Complaints Committee 2003–2007.
Chair of the Consumer Appeals Committee 2005–2009.
Chair of the ruling committee on social services and housing issues 2010–2012.
Editor and editorial board of the Icelandic Law Library from 2011–2021.
Chair of the Public Prosecutions Committee 2012–2015, Vice-Chair from 2015-2020.
The Wilderness Committee, 2012–2016, chair from 2016–2021.
The 2012 Judicial Proceedings Committee.
Member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2013-2020.
An alternate judge on the EFTA Court of Justice from 2013.
Born in 1962, appointed a Supreme Court judge on 16 October 2014 – 30 June 2015, appointed a Supreme Court judge from 12 October 2015.
Students from Hamrahside College of Education, 1982.
Postgraduate degree in Law from the University of Iceland Faculty of Law 1990.
A representative from the town sheriff of Hafnarfjörður, Garðakaupstaður and the district commissioner in Kjósarsýslur 1990 – 1991.
Managing director of the Homeowner's Association 1991 – 1993.
Representative at a law firm 1993 - 1996.
Self-employed lawyers 1996–2015.
District Court lawyer in 1993 and Supreme Court lawyer in 1997.
Main extra jobs
Student teacher in ownership at the University of Iceland Faculty of Law 1992–1995, adjunct lecturer 1995–2002, lecturer 2002–2007 and senior lecturer from 2007.
The Multi-Owned Buildings Complaints Committee 1995 – 2010.
The 2010 Complaints Committee for the Housing Sector.
Vice-chair of the Wilderness Commission 1998–2012 and chairman from 2012.
Chair of the Media Commission from 2013.
The board of the Icelandic Bar Association, 2013 to 2015.
Directorate of the LEX 2005 – 2013.
Born 1961, appointed a Supreme Court judge on 1 September 2003.
Students from Reykjavík University of Education, 1982.
Postgraduate degree from the University of Iceland Faculty of Law in 1987.
2002 Master's in European Law at the University of Lund, Sweden.
Representative at the Chief Justice of Reykjavík 1987–1988.
Representative of the sheriff of Húsavík and the sheriff of Þingeyjarsýslu 1988-1990.
A district court judge shall appoint the offices of the town sheriff of Neskaupstaður, the town sheriff of Eskifjörður and the district commissioner of South-Múlaýsla, the district commissioner of East-Skaftafellsýsla and the town sheriff of Seyðisfjörður and the district commissioner of North-Múlaýsla 1990 to 1992.
District Court judge, East Iceland, 1992-1997.
District Court judge, District Court, South Iceland, 1997 to 2003, including the chief judge from 1998.
Main extra jobs
A teaching assistant at the University of Reykjavík in the field of judicial procedure from 2021.
The board of the Icelandic Judicial Association 1992 - 1994 and 2014 - 2016 .
Chairman of the Public Auditors' Council 2001 – 2003.