In Sweden, judges are appointed by the Government. It is, however, the Judges Proposals Board (Sw. Domarnämnden) which administers all matters regarding appointment of permanent judges and submits proposals of judges to the Government. The Judges Proposals Board shall also work actively and long-term towards meeting the recruitment need of permanent judges.
The Judges Proposals Board consist of nine members. Each member has a personal deputy. Five of the members must be, or must have been, permanent judges. Two members must be lawyers operating outside the judiciary and one of them must be an “advokat” (a professional title only members of the Swedish Bar Association may use). Furthermore, two members must represent the public. These two members, and their personal deputies, are elected by the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament). The other members, and their personal deputies, are appointed by the Government. All members and deputies are appointed for a term of no longer than four years.
The Judges Proposals Board meets at least once a month, except for July, when no meeting is held. The Judges Proposals Board has a secretariat with an administrative director, two or three reporting clerks and two administrators. The administrative director is responsible for the daily operations and leads and distributes the work at the secretariat.
About the application process
Candidates to a position as a permanent judge must be Swedish citizens and shall have passed the professional examinations prescribed for qualification for judicial office (the Swedish Code of Judicial Procedure Chapter 4, Section 1). No person who is in the state of bankruptcy or has an administrator under the Children and Parents Code, Chapter 11, Section 7, may exercise the judicial office.
Candidates are obliged to fill out and sign the Judges Proposals Board’s application form which can be retrieved from the following link:
Should you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact the secretariat of the Judges Proposals Board.