11 March, 2014
The Board of Justice supported decision of the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court of 21 February 2014, asking the Saeima (the Parliament) to restore and preserve the historical title “the Senate” to the highest court instance of the Republic of Latvia, which disappeared due to amendments to the law “On Judicial Power” of 13 June 2013.
In motivation of its decision, the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court pointed out that the Senate was the historical title of the highest court instance of Latvia, which was established by “The Provisional Regulation on the Courts and Judicial Proceedings in Latvia” of 6 December 1918, the first fundamental law regulating operation of Latvian court system – and it existed during entire period prior to occupation of Latvia in November, 1940. In the restored Republic of Latvia in the law “On Judicial Power” of 1992, the historical title “the Senate” was restored to the cassation instance in the Supreme Court and so it was until 2014.
The Plenary Session of the Supreme Court urges to take into account that the Senate is the title of the cassation instance court in procedural meaning and there has been extensive case-law of the Senate and stable judicature of the Senate was developed. In 22 years (1918–1940), the Senate of Latvia solved more than 65 000 cases, and the Supreme Court Senate in 18 years (1996–2013) solved 34 563 cases, i.e., in total more than 100 000 court judgements and decisions were adopted with the name of the Senate.
The issue was reviewed in the sitting of the Board of Justice of March 10, 2014
Information prepared by
Rasma Zvejniece, the Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court
E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 67020396, 28652211