A new bill has been proposed, which is historical as it appears to be the first one which is supposed to counter the type of governance practised by David Oddson and his Independence Party.
Ragna Arnadottir, Minister of Justice and Human Rights is proposing a law on the appointment of district and supreme court justices. They are appointed by the minister, after a committee of peers has delivered a report on each candidate’s qualifications. If the minister’s appointment goes against the recommendations of the committee, then approval must be sought from Althingi.
This law is supposed to prevent such appointments as happened earlier this decade when first, David Oddson’s cousin, Olafur Borkur Thorvaldsson was appointed to the Supreme Court even though he was deemed the least qualified candidate. Bjorn Bjarnason, then Minister of Justice had no qualms about appointing him but a couple of years later when David’s son, Thorsteinn Davidsson applied for a district judge position, Bjorn stepped aside and let Arni Mathiesen, then Finance Minister appoint him, even though he was also deemed one of the least qualified.
Say what you will about the government but it appears like some brooms are hard at work cleaning up the mess left behind by the Independence Party.
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Blubber
2 years ago
It is a step in the right direction, but given the reign of the IP, it might be a good idea to attach a 2/3 majority vote to the appointment.