The Swedish Legal Culture – my way, the highway, the middle way or no way at all?

Sweden can be framed as a history of ambiguity, making the law of the realm a natural part of what is often referred to as a Nordic mixed legal system. Civil law ideas are combined with typical common law elements, topped with traces of legal engineering of the welfare state. Any compromise seems possible. Since 1974, Sweden is governed by a king with numerous castles but few powers. The actual government is run by ministers without ministerial rule. Their bills are subject to judicial scrutiny by the Council of Legislation, formed by judges without a court. As no surprise, the legal method seems to contain anything except a single clear method. Based on evidence from the 2021 Girjas-case, the legal method is described both as a reflection of contradictory structures and as a key instrument in reaching for coherence. However, the case confirms that contradictory legal claims from many norm producers can be moderated and accepted, rather than necessarily resolved by courts. Contextual elements are used primarily to explain how the most important sources are produced, valued and interrelate. The conclusion is that the flexible legal method, as often applied by lawyers and the people side by side, a rather critical than constructive legal theoretical heritage, and a reluctant attitude towards importing comprehensive systems of law, will likely temper any effort to institutionalise thorough and enduring doctrinal harmony in the Swedish legal culture.