Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark

The term Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark can be traced back to the reform of the Administration of Justice Act that came into force in 1919. Since 1927, there have been two Courts of Appeal in Denmark; the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark in Copenhagen, and the Court of Appeal of Western Denmark in Viborg.

Since 1919 the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark has resided in premises at Bredgade 59. The main building was constructed in 1701-1703, originally to be used as an opera house, and has since been used for a variety of purposes. Between 1884-1918, the building housed the Danish Parliament. The main building is built in a Dutch Palladian style with colossal pilastre and characteristic ornamented brickwork. Additionally, the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark also sits in two other premises in Copenhagen at Bredgade 42 (The Bernstorffian Palace, constructed 1754-56) and at Fredericiagade 26.

On February 7, the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark moved to a new building at the address Østre Landsrets Plads 1, 2150 Nordhavn.

The Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark acts as court of appeal for the decisions rendered by the district courts and hears both civil and criminal cases. Civil cases are between persons (real or legal), as well as cases between these and public authorities.

If a civil case concerns a matter of principle, the district courts can refer the case to the Courts of Appeal as courts of first instance. Jury trials, i.e. cases where the state submits a plea of 4 years imprisonment or more, and the accused pleads not guilty, have hitherto been tried by the Courts of Appeal as courts of first instance. Since 2008 these cases also start in the district courts as courts of first instance.

Cases decided by the Courts of Appeal as courts of appeal can only be brought before the Supreme Court if permitted by the Appeals Permission Board.

Cases brought before the Courts of Appeal are heard by a panel of 3 High Court judges. In ordinary criminal cases, 3 lay judges also participate, whereas in jury trials 9 jurors participate.

The Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark geographically covers the Copenhagen Capital Region, Zealand Region, parts of South Denmark Region (the Funen municipalities) and the Faroe Islands. In addition to the premises located in Copenhagen, the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark also has courtrooms in Rønne, Nykøbing Falster, Odense and the Faroe Islands.

In 2018 the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark closed 1463 civil cases and 1868 criminal cases. Furthermore, the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark also closed 1614 interlocutory orders in civil cases and 1622 interlocutory orders in criminal cases. Interlocutory orders may concern minor matters such as pretrial detention or legal costs, and are typically dealt with in writing.

In total, the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark therefore closed 6.567 cases in 2018.

In accordance with the Danish Administration of Justice Act, the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark is composed of a President and 60 appointed High Court judges. In addition, there are about 13 judges appointed ad interim. The Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark is currently divided into 24 departments with 3 High Court judges in each department.

An administrative director and a head of the secretariat assist the President in managerial and administrative tasks.

Other members of staff in the various departments perform administrative and technical functions.

In total, the equivalent of 149 employees were employed at the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark in 2018.

Organisation chart (pdf)