Date and Time: Tuesday 17th of December, 8:30-9:30
Place: Bergen Global, Jekteviksbakken 31
Welcome to the book launch of “Proactive and Powerful – Law Clerks and the Institutionalization of the Supreme Court” by Gunnar Grendstad, William Shaffer, Jørn Øyrehagen Sunde and Eric Waltenburg.
Professor in Law Jørn Øyrehagen Sunde and Professor in Comparative Politics Gunnar Grendstad at the University of Bergen will present their new book in discussion with Siri Gloppen.
Book Content: Norway’s Supreme Court is one of the most powerful Supreme Courts in Europe. This position is in large part due to the role and expansion of the law clerks on the Court. Beginning in 1957 with a single clerk, the number of law clerks has increased dramatically. Today, the clerks outnumber the justices, and their tasks have expanded considerably.
In 1957 the task was to prepare civil appeals. Today, clerks assist in most stages of the Court’s decisional process, including the writing of the final decision. The expansion and institutionalisation of the clerk unit have enabled the justices to commence on policymaking and on developing the law. The law clerks have been key in the development of a more proactive and powerful Norwegian Supreme Court.
This book is the first comprehensive study of law clerks in a European Supreme Court. It will be valuable to lawyers, historians and political scientists who care about the expanding role of courts and the impact of courts on politics, society, and the legal system.
Link to the publisher/book: https://www.boomdenhaag.nl/en/webshop/proactive-and-powerful.