‘Dialogue between the judiciary and other constitutional bodies is crucial for rule of law, and Judicial Council is a suitable platform for such dialogue,’ President Levits stressed during the meeting.
Aigars Strupišs, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Chair of the Judicial Council, opened the meeting by presenting President Levits 2021 results, 2022 priorities and challenges of the Judicial Council. The following discussion focussed on better procedures for selection and professional eligibility assessment of new judges and Saeima’s mandate to approve judges. One of the focus issues was approval of first instance judges, i.e., the procedure where Saeima votes on the same judge twice, first appointing a new judge for a three-year period and then appointing the same judge for an indefinite term. Another issue reiterated during the meeting was better procedures for the appointment of Constitutional Judges to the Supreme Court after the end of their tenure.
Egils Levits also proposed to improve the enforcement of Constitutional Court rulings, which would enhance cooperation between various government units. The President of Latvia suggested going back to a system where government nominates its representative to the Constitutional Court through the Ministry of Justice. This would create the necessary institutional framework for dialogue between the Constitutional Court, the Cabinet of Ministers and Saeima on the enforcement of judgements, coordination of cooperation between the executive branch and Constitutional Court, as well as give the Cabinet of Ministers an opportunity to engage in Constitutional Court proceedings.
