9 June, 2015
The Council for the Judiciary supported planned amendments to the law “On Judicial Power”, which envisage to provide regulation in the law, so that it would further be possible to carry out reforms related to implementation of concept of court houses in organisational structure of courts, and to grant competence to the Cabinet of Ministers to determine catchment areas of district (city) courts, respective court houses and Land Registry offices.
Amendments to the law envisage that it will be possible to annex district (city) court to another district (city) court, if the Council for the Judiciary agrees with it. The Council for the Judiciary, upon proposal of the Minister of Justice, will approve plan of reorganisation of courts, establishing the procedure of transfer of cases to the court, which another court is annexed to. Amendments to the law envisage that, if the court is reorganised, the Council for the Judiciary may transfer the judge of reorganised court to another district (city) court located within the same court region without his or her consent, but authorities of the Chair and the deputy Chair of the reorganised court will expire along with termination of reorganisation of the court.
Guiding by these amendments to the law, which must be adopted by the Saeima (Parliament) in final reading, the Council for the Judiciary agreed with reorganisation of Jurmala city court as from 1 August 2015. The Council for the Judiciary also approved the procedure, how the proposal on transfer of judges of Jurmala court to work to another court will be prepared and reviewed at the sitting of the Council, and determined number of judges in district (city) courts as from 1 August. Total number of judges of the first instance does not change, remaining 403 judges, inter alia, 325 judges of district (city) courts and 78 judges of Latnd Registry offices, but division of judicial offices in courts change, seven judicial offices and two offices of judges of Land Registry offices being transferred to Riga district court and its Land Registry office.
Decisions of the Council for the Judiciary will enter into force after respective amendments to the law “On Judicial Power” will be implemented.
Information prepared by
Rasma Zvejniece, the Head of the Division of Communication
E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 67020396, 28652211