43 Swedish lay judges committed crimes while serving in courts

Forty-three politically appointed lay judges committed crimes while also taking part in court rulings, according to a review by Sveriges Radio’s Kaliber, reported by SVT. The offences included rape, child pornography offences and drunk driving.

Two political parties stand out in the figures. Kaliber reviewed court judgments from 2021 to 2025 and found that five judges had also committed crimes during their periods of service.

Some of the people were convicted of several offences, including aggravated violation of a woman’s integrity, sexual harassment and fraud.

All parliamentary political parties except the Liberals have had lay judges who committed crimes while taking part in court rulings, according to the review. The Sweden Democrats had the highest number, with 12 people. The Centre Party also stood out, with six convicted lay judges, twice as many as the smaller Christian Democrats, Green Party and Left Party.

Courts are responsible for checking that lay judges remain law-abiding while holding their assignments. Political parties, however, nominate the candidates through municipal councils. The number of lay judges appointed from each party is intended to reflect the election result in the relevant municipality.

Neither the Sweden Democrats nor the Centre Party agreed to comment on Kaliber’s review beyond saying that they carry out checks and have clear ethical rules.