The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark as well as the island territories of Jan Mayen and Svalbard.

The chief judicial officer of the court (Norwegian: førstelagmann) is currently Monica Hansen Nylund.

The cultural variations demand bigger efforts of the Court's judges, among other the ability to understand different ways of living and thinking.

The Court has its seat in Tromsø, the capital of Troms county and the largest city in Northern Norway (Hålogaland).

This assembly was dissolved in 1797 and after that time, Hålogaland was part of the diocesan court in Trondheim.