Halldóra ranks first for two Landsrétt judge positions

Judge Halldóra Þorsteinsdóttir has been ranked the strongest candidate for two judicial positions at Landsrétt, Iceland’s Court of Appeal, mbl.is reported. District Court judges Björn L. Bergsson and Hulda Árnadóttir were placed jointly behind her.

The assessment committee’s opinion, dated November 6, was submitted to the justice minister, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice. One position is a permanent appointment, while the other is a temporary appointment lasting until February 28, 2029. The positions were advertised on August 21.

Five people applied. In addition to Halldóra, Björn and Hulda, the applicants were District Court judges Ragnheiður Snorradóttir and Sigríður Elsa Kjartansdóttir. The committee found that all five met the general eligibility requirements.

Judgment writing weighed heavily

The committee’s assessment considered applicants’ education, career history, academic knowledge, integrity, competence and efficiency. In evaluating professional experience, it gave greatest weight to judicial work, legal practice and litigation, and administrative work involving the resolution of disputes. Those three factors were weighted equally.

The committee considered Halldóra the strongest applicant at drafting judgments, particularly in the structure, presentation and legal reasoning of her decisions across a range of areas of law. It also considered how her decisions had fared when reviewed by a higher court.

Her decisions were described as clear, well-reasoned and well written. The committee said she had demonstrated independence, objectivity, initiative and efficiency, and was able to distinguish important issues from less important ones.

Applicants’ experience

Halldóra has served as a District Court judge for just over six years and previously worked for about three and a half years as an assistant at the Supreme Court. She chaired an appeals committee for 11 years and taught law at three universities in Iceland for eight years.

She has co-authored an academic book and written 12 peer-reviewed articles, three of them with a co-author, as well as four book chapters. She has also helped prepare draft legislation and held various other legal roles.

Björn has a 28-year career as a lawyer, with litigation experience in a range of legal fields. He has served as a District Court judge for almost six years, as deputy president of the Reykjavík District Court for four years and as director of Landsrétt for three years. He has also served as acting prosecutor general, a judge at the Labour Court and chair of the Reopening Committee.

Hulda has worked as a lawyer for about 15 years and as a District Court judge for almost six years. She has served on numerous administrative committees and chaired the Uninhabited Areas Commission from 2021 to 2025, having previously taken an active part in its work as an alternate member from 2007. She has also taught at university since 2003 and helped prepare draft legislation.

The assessment committee comprised chair Helgi I. Jónsson, Helga Melkorka Óttarsdóttir, Ingveldur Einarsdóttir, Jóhannes Sigurðsson and Reimar Pétursson.