Jón Bjarnason Academy - 01.05.1931, Side 41

Jón Bjarnason Academy - 01.05.1931, Side 41
the law-speaker. The law-speaker, usually, but not necessarily a godi, was its president. These law^-makers also named one judge each for the Althing court (thirty-six) as originally or- ganized. This was the highest court in the land. Pageant, Staged at Tliingvellir 1930, Depicting the Electioyi of Lawman at the same place in 930 Later the country was divided into four quarters with definite geographical boundaries; the ordinary godord had no fixed boundaries. In each quarter there were three things, ex- cept in the northern quarter, where there were four. The balance, however, was maintained in the Althing, so that the northern quarter did not outweigh any other quarter in point of influence. In about 1004 the Fifth Court was established. This be- came, in reality, the Supreme Court of Iceland. Appeals did not lie to the court in the ordinary sense with which we are familiar today; it had original jurisdiction in certain cases. It consisted of forty-eight judges, twelve more than the mem- bership in the Althing court of old. However, thirty-six of the twelve decided all cases, as each litigant had the right to challenge six men; in fact, if either side neglected to challenge six a mis-trial resulted. After this date (1004) each member of Logretta had the right to name two counsellors who sat with him. The membership of Logretta thus really rose to one hundred and fourty-four men. Just when these twro men were assigned to each godi is not altogether clear. It has sometimes been asserted that they wrere members from the very beginning, but it seems probable that they wTere added later, partly in response to the public demand that the base of representation be broadened, and also in order to counteract the concentra- tion of power in the hands of the comparatively few godis. 39

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