Latvia

CEPEJ Member: Aija BRANTA

Justice of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court
36 Brivibas boulevard
LV-RIGA 1511

Latvia - European Cyberjustice Network members (ECN)

Voldemars KIZINO
Head of IT Division, Information Systems and Technology Department of the Court Administration of Latvia
Agnija KARLSONE-DJOMKINA
Head of Division for International cooperation and analytics

National Correspondent

Līga REINFELDE
International Cooperation and Analytics Division
The Court Administration
Antonijas street 6
Riga, LV-1010

Pilot Courts

Kurzeme Regional Court
Didzis AKTUMANIS
Chairman
Kurmajas Prospekets 2/4/6, 3401 LIEPAJA

Riga city Pardaugava Court
Adrija BULINA
President
Daugavgrivas street 58, Riga, LV-1007

Evaluation Exercise

Links to relevant Institutions

Resources

Legal texts (Codes, laws, regulations etc.)
Case-law of the higher court/s
Other documents (e.g. forms)

Recent developments in the judicial field

CEPEJ Programme "Evaluation of the Latvia judicial system" (2017)
Peer’s evaluation of the Latvian system for judicial statistics (14-15 November 2013)
- Report
Recent developments in latvia since June 2013
On September 2013 amendments to the law "On Judicial Power" came into force, adding a new section to the law "On the management of the lenght of proceedings in court". Law stipulates that the Chief judge of the court, prior to the begining of each calendar year, in cooperation with the judges of the court plans and defines the objectives of the court’s activities regarding the average time of hearing cases in court (the standart for hearing) and supervises the actual terms of hearing.
Law also stipulates that chief judge has the authority to verify the compliance with the procedural terms in the cases in the adjudication by a judge, to give orders to a judge in connection with the organisation of a judge’s work. If a judge, without reasonable grounds, fails to perform necessary procedural actions to ensure that a case is heard within reasonable time, as well as in cases, if the term planned by the judge does not ensure hearing of the case within reasonable time, the chief judge may: (1) impose an appropriate term upon the judge, within which, considering the circumstances of the case, the respective procedural action must be performed; (2) re-allocate cases to judges in accordance with case allocation plan.
To promote uniform practice in aplying the aforementioned amendments to the Law, the Ministry of Jutice has elaborated metodological material for chief judges of courts – Guidelines for setting standart lenght of proceedings. The Guidelines was elaborated, taking into consideration SATURN Guidelines for Judicial Time Management as well as the study conducted by the European Network of Councils of the Judiciary „Judicial Reform in Europe – Part II. 2012-2013”.

European Day of Civil Justice

Traditionally, as every year, first year students of legal programmes of the higher educational institutes, teachers and group of schoolchildren come to guided tours to the Supreme Court. During those visits they were introduced of the work of court system, with the duties of judges and court staff, as well as with the work of communication and IT specialists. They have been provided an opportunity to get acquainted with the museum of the Supreme Court, to walk over the Palace of Justice and to see how cases have been herd.

Satisfaction surveys