On Friday, 18 October, the Judicial Council decided on a number of issues related to the development of the judicial system and the careers of judges.
The Judicial Council approved a training plan for judges, court staff, prosecutors and assistants to prosecutors for 2025. The training plan provides for judges, court staff, prosecutors and assistants to prosecutors to study current issues in the fields of civil, criminal and administrative law, as well as interdisciplinary topics. In the coming year, the training will also be provided for newly appointed judges and prosecutors in their first year of work, as well as for leadership of courts and prosecutor's offices, for investigating judges, and for court staff who will start working in courts. The training plan has been developed taking into account the training needs expressed by the target audiences, the recommendations set out in the policy planning documents and the additions recommended by the judicial self-governing bodies, as well as on the basis of the professional development training programmes developed by the Academy of Justice project.
The Judicial Council endorsed the budget requests of the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court for district (city) courts, regional courts and the Supreme Court for the coming year. The Ministry of Justice indicated that the budget expenditures of district (city) and regional courts in 2025 will be prioritised to increase the possibilities of organizing remote court sessions by taking over by the Ministry of Justice the function of escorting arrested and convicted persons from the State Police, as well as to cover the costs of renting court premises and land fees, and to ensure competitive remuneration in courts. The budgetary priorities of the Supreme Court for the next year include the maintenance of a competitive remuneration system for Supreme Court employees, the implementation of international cooperation activities and the introduction of artificial intelligence tools in the provision of Supreme Court functions.
When discussing the remuneration of court staff, the Chair of the Judicial Council, Aigars Strupišs, emphasised that "according to the Judicial Council, a salary increase of at least 12% would be necessary for the staff of first- and second-instance courts in 2025. Initially, the Judicial Council endorsed the priority measures proposed by the Ministry of Justice for the budget of district (city) courts and regional courts for the period 2025-2028, which envisaged a 6% salary increase for court staff. At the same time, given the next year's budget constraints and the country's external security as the main budgetary priority, the salary increase for judges and court staff could only be 2.6%. Having looked at the information report on the priority measures to be included in the draft state budget law for 2025-2028, I drew the government's attention to the current situation in the courts and the expected shortage of judges and qualified court staff."
The members of the Judicial Council elected Ilze Celmiņa, Judge of the Collegium of Civil Cases of the Riga Regional Court, as Deputy Chair of the Judicial Council. Judge Ilze Celmiņa was re-elected as a member of the Judicial Council at the Latvian Judges Extramural Conference on 17 September 2024.
The Judicial Council also endorsed the candidature of Juris Juriss for the office of a Constitutional Court judge. Juris Juriss is Chief Prosecutor of the Division for Coordination the Combatting with Money Laundering of the Criminal Justice Department of the Prosecutor General's Office. In 2013, he obtained a Doctor of Law degree in Criminal Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia. Juris Juriss was nominated for the vacant position of a Constitutional Court judge, as the term of office of Judge Artūrs Kučs expired on 2 September 2024 as he took up judicial duties in the European Court of Human Rights. The Saeima (parliament) will have to decide on the confirmation of Juris Juriss as a judge of the Constitutional Court.
The Judicial Council appointed Judge Kristine Vanaga as Deputy President of the Zemgale District Court for five years. The Judicial Council decided to transfer Judge Ilze Vanaga from the Riga City Court to the Zemgale Regional Court as of 1 November 2024.
Additional information:
One of the functions of the Judicial Council is to approve the content of training programmes for judges and court staff.
According to the law On Judicial Power, the Judicial Council shall provide its opinion on the budget requests of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice.
The Judicial Council had to elect a Deputy Chair of the Judicial Council, as the term of office of the former Deputy Chair of the Judicial Council, Senator Dzintra Balta, expired, and Senator Rudīte Vīduša was
elected to the Judicial Council on 9 September 2024 from among the judges of the Supreme Court. On the basis of the law On Judicial Power, the Deputy Chair of the Judicial Council is elected by the Judicial Council from among the judges represented therein.
On the basis of the Constitutional Court Law, the Presidium of the Saeima informs the Judicial Council about a candidate for the office of a Constitutional Court judge, inviting it to give its opinion.
In accordance with the existing procedure, the Judicial Council, having received the opinion of the Commission for the Evaluation of Candidates for the Office of President and Deputy President of District (City) Court and Regional Court and President of Courthouse, decides on the appointment of the candidate. The Commission for the Evaluation of Candidates for the Office of President and Deputy President of District (City) Court and Regional Court and President of Courthouse has given a positive opinion on the suitability of Kristīne Vanaga for the office of deputy president of a court.
According to the law On Judicial Power, one of the functions of the Judicial Council is to transfer a judge of a first instance court to a regional court. Judge Ilze Vanaga applied for the position of a regional court judge in an open competition, participated in the selection of candidates for the said position, and the Judicial Qualification Committee issued a positive opinion on her suitability to work at the regional court.