Sigríður Á. Andersen

Sigríður Ásthildur Andersen (born 21 November 1971) is an Icelandic politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice of Iceland from 2017–2019.[1][2][3] She resigned as minister of justice after the European Court of Human Rights found her appointments of judges to the Icelandic court of appeals to be illegal.[4][5]

Sigríður Á. Andersen
Minister of Justice
In office
11 January 2017 – 14 March 2019
Prime MinisterBjarni Benediktsson
Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Preceded byÓlöf Nordal (Minister of the Interior)
Succeeded byÞórdís Gylfadóttir
Personal details
Born (1971-11-21) 21 November 1971 (age 52)
Reykjavík, Iceland
Political partyIndependence Party
SpouseGlúmur Jón Björnsson
Alma materUniversity of Iceland

She has been a member of the Icelandic parliament (Althing) for the Independence Party since 2015.[6][7]

Education and career

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Sigríður graduated from Reykjavik Junior College in 1991, studied law at the University of Iceland, and became an attorney in 2001.[8] From 1999–2005, she worked as a lawyer at the Icelandic Chamber of Commerce, sat on the Council of District Courts from 2004–2009, and then worked at a private law firm from 2007–2015.[8]

She was a deputy member of parliament for the Independence Party for a short while in 2008 and for a few months in 2012–2015.[8] She then became an elected member of parliament in 2015.[8]

Controversies

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Sigríður has been a controversial figure during her tenure as justice minister.[9] She played a pivotal role in the controversy surrounding the 'restored honour' of a convicted child sex offender which led to the dissolution of the Cabinet of Iceland under prime minister Bjarni Benediktsson in 2017.[10][11]

In 2017, she did not follow the recommendations of a special committee list of the most qualified judges for the newly formed Icelandic court of appeals and instead hand-picked 4 of them, including the wife of fellow Independence Party parliamentarian Brynjar Níelsson.[12] On 12 March 2019, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the appointments had been made illegally.[13] On 13 March 2019, in the aftermath of the ruling, Sigríður announced that she would resign as justice minister.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Sigríður Á. Andersen verður áfram dómsmálaráðherra". Kvennabladid. March 23, 2018. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Rúmlega sjö af hverjum tíu vilja að Sigríður Á. Andersen segi af sér". Kjarninn. February 23, 2018.
  3. ^ "Um Sigríði – Sigríður Á. Andersen". Sigríður Á. Andersen (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 2018-11-19. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  4. ^ a b Birgir Olgeirsson (13 March 2019). "Sigríður Andersen stígur til hliðar". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  5. ^ "European Court Of Human Rights Declares Icelandic Judge Appointments Illegal". Grapevine. March 12, 2019.
  6. ^ "Sigríður Á. Andersen". Alþingi (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  7. ^ "Sigríður Andersen hafnar ásökunum um þöggun: "Ég frábið mér þennan málflutning"". Pressan. September 19, 2017. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d "Sigríður Á. Andersen – Short biographies of members of parliament". Alþingi. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  9. ^ "Vast Majority Of Icelanders Want Justice Minister To Resign". Grapevine. February 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "Ótrúlegur ráðherraferill Sigríðar Andersen: Lögbrot, leyndarhyggja og harka gagnvart hælisleitendum". Stundin. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  11. ^ "PM's Father Endorsed "Restored Honour" For Convicted Paedophile". Grapevine. September 14, 2017.
  12. ^ "Sigríður Andersen braut lög þegar hún handvaldi dómara í Landsrétt". Stundin. September 15, 2017.
  13. ^ "MDE segir Landsrétt ólöglega skipaðan". RÚV. 12 March 2019.
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Political offices
Preceded byas Minister of the Interior Minister of Justice
2017–2019
Succeeded by
  1. ^ "Þingmenn og embætti". Alþingi (in Icelandic).