Rettsoppgjøret etter 22. juli: mer enn en strafferettslig fortelling

Taking the central role of law and legal proceedings in transitional justice processes as the point of departure, this chapter develops a more complex account of the legal response and pursuit of justice following the 2011 terrorist attacks. The 2012 criminal trial against the 22 July perpetrator marked the beginning, rather than the endpoint, of this process. Subsequent legal developments form a broader narrative in which legal mobilisation becomes integral to postterror recovery. Drawing on socio-legal studies and legal mobilisation theory to analyse these processes, the chapter introduces the concept “composite legal mobilisation”, distinguishing between mobilisation aimed at settling discrete disputes, serving performative functions, supporting victim recognition, and pursuing strategic objectives. The chapter examines a range of cases, including the perpetrator's legal challenges concerning prison conditions and sentencing, political and economic disputes surrounding the reconstruction of the Government Quarter, controversies surrounding the establishment of a national memorial, and mobilisation on behalf of survivors and affected individuals, particularly regarding compensation and access to victim counsel. By considering these legal processes together – across differing constellations of parties, arenas, and claims – the chapter offers new insights into how courts and legal institutions shape understandings of justice after terrorism, and what it means for Norwegian society that such processes remain ongoing and open-ended.