Sacrificing the Pig in the Temple – The Supreme Court in Occupied Norway

Abstract

This chapter treats the Norwegian supreme court, the Høyesterett, under the German occupation in World War II. It explains how the court got into conflict with the occupier over the judicial review of occupation legislation and resigned in December 1940. After that, a new collaborating supreme court was installed, whose judges and judgments are described, as well as its relation to the government and the reactions of the judiciary, description of the return of the legitimate Høyesterett judges and the prosecution of the members of the collaborating court. The chapter is concluded with a discussion of legal continuity and discontinuity and an assessment of the court’s legacy.