Government amends ordinance on special court members in general courts

The Swedish Government has amended the ordinance that governs how Domarnämnden, the Judges’ Appointment Board, appoints special members to the general courts and the general administrative courts. The change was published in Svensk författningssamling as SFS 2026:1787 on 6 October 2026, amending ordinance 2013:391.

The amended act is the ordinance (2013:391) on Domarnämnden’s appointment of special members in general courts and general administrative courts. The amending ordinance was issued by Regeringen and published in the official statute book, the authentic record of Sweden’s laws and ordinances. Its subject is the appointment of the special members who sit in the two court branches named in the title, so the change concerns the rules that determine how those benches are composed.

What the amendment covers

The new ordinance is titled “Förordning om ändring i förordningen (2013:391) om Domarnämndens förordnande av särskilda ledamöter i allmän domstol och i allmän förvaltningsdomstol”. It is an amending ordinance, which means it changes provisions of the 2013 ordinance rather than replacing it.

The title names two court branches: allmän domstol, the general courts, and allmän förvaltningsdomstol, the general administrative courts. The rules it amends are those under which Domarnämnden appoints särskilda ledamöter — special members who supplement the bench in those courts. Because the ordinance governs who may be appointed and on what terms, an amendment to it has a direct effect on the composition of the courts concerned.

The body that decides

Domarnämnden is the Swedish state agency that handles appointments and proposals concerning the judiciary; it appears in the official list of government agencies published in SFS 2026:1761. Under the ordinance being amended, the board is responsible for the appointment of special members in the courts covered by that ordinance.

The amending ordinance was issued by Regeringen, the Government, and carries the SFS number 2026:1787. It was published on 6 October 2026. The ordinance forms part of the 2026 series of the statute book, which is published by Regeringskansliet and is the authoritative text for courts and authorities.

Official references

• Gazette: Svensk författningssamling (SFS), Sweden’s official statute book.
• Document: SFS 2026:1787, published 6 October 2026.
• Amended act: ordinance 2013:391 on Domarnämnden’s appointment of special members in general courts and general administrative courts.
• Issuing body: Regeringen, through Regeringskansliet.
• Subject: rules for special court members; appointments.

Why it matters

The composition of the bench is a central element of judicial procedure. The rules on special members determine who, alongside the professional judges, takes part in deciding cases in the general courts and the general administrative courts. A change to those rules therefore affects how those courts are constituted and, in practice, the parties and cases that come before them.

Source: Svensk författningssamling (SFS), SFS 2026:1787, 6 October 2026, section I (official reference: SFS 2026:1787).