Benedikt Bogason, President of the Supreme Court, and Arnþór Gunnarsson, author of the book Supreme Court in a Hundred Years – History, spoke briefly. Benedikt’s speech thanked all those involved in the publication of the books. Among other things:

“But what lessons can we learn from this history and from the book? There is no platform for a detailed discussion of that subject here. I will mention just one point. I believe that the lesson that can be learned from this history is that the independence of the judiciary is not a given. That is something that needs to be protected. That is what this history tells us. At the same time, we can assume from this history that the judiciary has been successful in defending its independence. This is a big issue because an independent judiciary is a prerequisite for the existence of the rule of law. Many people may consider it a given in our society that we have an independent judiciary, but we must never fall asleep on our guard. I would like to allow myself to consider that the fact that the judiciary in Iceland has been independent all the way since the Supreme Court was established in 1920, and that the court itself has also made sure that its external appearance underlines this independence, is the main reason why the Supreme Court has always, in the best possible way, enjoyed the trust of the people.”

The following photos were taken for this occasion.

Photo by Gunnar Sverrisson