Law of Iceland

Iceland legal system traces to the Icelandic Commonwealth of 930 to 1262, when law was set by the Althing, an annual assembly that combined judicial and legislative functions; its first codified laws, attributed to the lawspeaker Ulfljotr around 930, closely followed the Gulating laws of Norway. The lawbook Grayas governed until the 1260s, when it was succeeded by Jonsbok, compiled in 1281, which remained the basis of Icelandic law into the twentieth century. Since 1944 Iceland has operated as a representative democracy rather than a popular assembly, with the Althing continuing as the legislature; Icelandic law consists mainly of statutes it adopts, along with orders issued by the Cabinet, and the President and Althing jointly exercise legislative power, the President giving assent by signature and having withheld it only twice between 1944 and 2023. Seventy four local municipalities govern under the Local Authorities Act, and the Ministry of Justice publishes the body of applicable legal rules.