Arbjartur Smyrillsson

Arbjartur Smyrillsson
File:ArbjarturSmyrillsson.jpg
Judge of the Esquarian Court of Human Rights
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 March 2017
Nominated by	Friðrik Heimirsson
Praetor of the Borealian Constitutional Court
In office 23 November 2002 – 8 March 2017
Preceded by	Ahnah Tupileksdóttir
Praetor of the Public Court of the Free City of Stórkostlegborg
In office 1 July 1998 – 23 November 2002
Preceded by	Bjarnhedinn Birkirsson
Succeeded by	Hinrika Garpursdóttir
Magistrate of Ultima Borealia
In office 1 July 1995 – 8 March 2017
Praetor of the Public Court of the Refsstaoir Prefecture
In office 1 July 1992 – 1 July 1998
Personal details
Born	Arbjartur Smyrillsson (1956-09-17) September 17, 1956 Stórkostlegborg, Ultima Borealia
Spouse	Vilhelmina Thorbrandursdóttir (1985–present)
Children	3
Education	University of Stórkostlegborg, College of Law
Profession	Judge, jurist

Arbjartur Smyrillsson is a Borealian jurist, career judge and Judge on the Esquarian Court of Human Rights. Smyrillsson first became prominent for his work in the field of jurisprudence, as an influential scholar of critical legal studies in the 1980s, before being elected by lawyers and jurists, per the tradition of Borealian law, as the Praetor of the Public Court of the Refsstaoir Prefecture in 1992. Initially viewed as a leftist choice as he had previously expressed leftist views as a part of his work as a jurist, Smyrillsson became respected by conservatives and traditionalists for rigidly adhering to traditional Borealian parliamentary procedures and became respected for his impartiality at the Court. Popular amongst all swathes of the Borealian political spectrum, he was elected to the College of Magistrates in 1995 and the Public Court of the Free City of Stórkostlegborg in 1998. Following the mandatory retirement of Praetor Ahnah Tupileksdóttir in 2002, Smyrillsson stood for her seat in the Constitutional Court and was elected by the College of Magistrates to that office, and was re-elected in 2014. In 2017, Smyrillson was nominated by Friðrik Heimirsson to serve on the Esquarian Court of Human Rights and was confirmed by the Council of Esquarium on 8 March, 2017, consequently resigning his positions as Praetor and Magistarte.

While on the Constitutional Court, Smyrillsson generally took a broad interpretation of the rights enshrined by the Borealian Constitution consistent with his civil libertarian stances, including the economic, social and cultural rights enshrined by that document while simultaneously narrowly interpreting the powers of the executive. Smyrillsson also attached great emphasis on the various international law documents ratified by Ultima Borealia in its Appendices to the Constitution, particularly documents pertaining to the Esquarian Community. Smyrillsson was criticised, however, by right-wing politicians and proponents of judicial restraint for leading the Court to accept appeals from the Economic Courts from parties claiming that the decisions of the Economic Court violated Constitutional economic directives. In response to these criticisms, Smyrillsson has responded that he is simply applying the plain meaning of the Constitution. Smyrillsson was sometimes referred to as the real Chief Praetor of the Constitutional Court (which is held by the most senior Praetor, Svanhildur Kristjonasdóttir and is a purely administrative role) as he had issued more majority opinions than any of his colleagues and most members of the Court voted with him the majority of the time. During his time on the Court, Smyrillsson was also regarded as Ultima Borealia's leading leftist and civil libertarian judge.