On Friday, 29 November, the Judicial Council heard the reports of the working groups on the assessment of the territorial reform of courts, the basic principles of specialisation of judges and the specialisation regarding land registry cases in courts.
The Working Group for Court Efficiency concluded that the territorial reform of courts, which started in 2014 and lasted ten years, has been successful and necessary. It has improved the efficiency of the judicial system, increased the speed of case processing and equalised the workload of judges at the level of judicial regions, thus achieving the objectives of the reform. The reform has also brought administrative benefits by improving the allocation of judicial resources and reducing management costs. Moreover, the reform has facilitated the introduction of new technologies and e-services in the work of courts.
The Working Group on Specialisation of Judges presented two reports to the Judicial Council, namely on fundamental principles of the specialisation of judges and on the specialisation regarding land registry cases in courts. The report on fundamental principles of the specialisation of judges was drafted by the Working Group with the aim of providing uniform principles for determining the specialisation of judges, which are flexible, understandable and can be used to manage court resources and improve the efficiency of court work. The Working Group also concluded that specialisation by fields of law is objectively necessary and that the specialisation of judges is an important tool for improving the quality and efficiency of legal proceedings, as it contributes to more effective work of judges. In the Working Group’s view, the specialisation of judges of first instance courts should be maintained with regard to courts of general jurisdiction, but judges should be allowed to change their specialisation during their career. At the same time, the Working Group is critical of the initiative to establish specialised courts in Latvia in the future.
The report on the specialisation regarding land registry cases in courts was drafted with the aim of assessing the results of the land registry reform and the situation of land registry cases in courts, as well as to make recommendations on how to deal with land registry cases. According to the Working Group on Specialisation of Judges, the land registry proceedings are non-contentious proceedings, which is part of the civil procedure. The examination of land registry cases should be retained as a judicial function and as one of the specialisations of the courts in the field of civil law. However, it should be noted that the number of land registry judges may decrease, which is why a reallocation of competences is necessary. The Working Group proposes the creation of a post of court lawyer, which will help to take over some of the work of land registry judges and lighten the workload of judges. Discussions on these issues will continue in the coming sessions of the Judicial Council in order to find the most appropriate solutions.
The Working Group for Court Efficiency and the Working Group on Specialisation of Judges are composed of judges and court presidents, the Prosecutor General, heads of judicial institutions and representatives of the Ministry of Justice. The reports of the Working Groups can be accessed in the "Documents" section of the Judicial Council website.
The Judicial Council established a commission to select candidates for the post of Director of the Academy of Justice in accordance with the selection procedure approved by the Judicial Council. The selection process will be attended by representatives of the judiciary and the executive branch – Inga Niedre, Head Prosecutor of the Pre-trial Criminal Procedure and Judicial Proceedings Coordination Division of the Prosecutor General's Office, Guntars Ploriņš, a member of the Judicial Council and Chair of Valmiera Courthouse of the District Administrative Court, Rudīte Vīduša, a member of the Judicial Council and Senator of the Supreme Court Department of Administrative Cases, Lauma Paegļkalna Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Inita Ilgaža, Deputy State Secretary on Court Issues, and Andris Munda, Director of the Court Administration.
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The Working Group for Court Efficiency and the Working Group on Specialisation of Judges were established to make recommendations for improving the efficiency and quality of the judicial system and to ensure that the tasks set out in the Judicial Council's Strategy 2021-2025 are fulfilled.
The Law on the Academy of Justice stipulates that the selection of candidates for the post of Director of the Academy of Justice shall be carried out by a commisison established by the Judicial Council. The Commission shall include representatives of the judiciary and the executive in equal numbers.