(1) For the main hearing and for hearing in the Court of Appeal the court shall sit with two lay judges.(2) Lay judges shall be appointed on the recommendation of the parties from the panel of lay judges appointed pursuant to section 17-6. In cases before the Court of Appeal, the lay judges are taken from the panels appointed within the district of the court.(3) Each party proposes one-half of the number of lay judges included in an individual case. If the proposals from the parties are not available within the time limit stipulated by the judge, the judge may appoint lay judges pursuant to section 94 of the Courts of Justice Act. The same applies if several plaintiffs or defendants fail to agree on a joint proposal.(4) Nevertheless, the court may sit without lay judges if the parties and the court are agreed that lay judges are unnecessary.
