The first six justices were followed by the following exceptional jurists who invested their talent in the honorable service to justice: Bronislavs Nagajevskis, Andrejs Simanis, Aleksandrs Gubens, Fridrihs Vesmanis, Baldvins Disterlo, Janis Kalacs, Aleksandrs Petersons, Karlis Purins, Fricis Zilberts, Fridrihs Konradi, Janis Balodis, Osvalds Ozolins, Janis Rudolfs Alksnis, Mintauts Cakste, Vladimirs Bukovskis, Jekabs Grots, Janis Skudre, Karlis Ducmanis, Peteris Leitans, Peteris Sterste, Janis Ankravs, Teodors Bergtals, Augusts Rumpeters, Aleksandrs Haritonovskis, Voldermars Kanepitis and others. During the Senate's existence, 30 judges were elected Senators, but no more then 17 senators held office simultaneously.
During the dawn of the Latvian state, the justices of the Senate managed and supervised the application of the many former Russian laws, and engaged in the uniform and correct interpretation of the newly passed Latvian laws.
During the twenty years of its independent existence, the Senate became the true supreme judicial body of the country, and during this relatively short period of time, had a significant contribution to the strengthening of the judicial system and the development of the legal thought and the national law. On August 1, 1933 a festive meeting was held in the Senate’s main courtroom for the occasion of the coming into force of the Penal Code. At the meeting, the Justice Minister Ozols read the rescript by the President, and presented the first copy of the new Penal Code to the chair of the Senate’s Criminal Cassation Department, Aleksandrs Gubens, acknowledging the Senate’s supreme status in the implementation of the laws.
Justices of the Senate participated in the drafting of the Civil Law that was enacted in 1937. Justice Osvalds Ozolins, in collaboration with Justice Karlis Ducmanis, prepared a preamble to the law.
The numbers of the cases reviewed by the Senate speak for themselves with regard to the amount of work done by the Senate during its 20 years of existence. The Senate’s Criminal Cassation Department reviewed 18,458 cases, the Civil Cassation Department reviewed 16,299 cases, and the Administrative Department reviewed 28,397 cases, a total average of 3000 cases yearly or 10 cases every working day.
Approximately 4800 judgments were published by the Senate. Collections of Senate rulings cover more than 6000 pages; today, these are a bibliographic rarity. In addition, at least 70 translated Senate judgments appeared in a journal published by the German Lawyers' Association of Latvia. Over 30 Senate judgments summarised and issued in Russian in the journal "Zakon i sud" were published in Riga and 20 translated Senate judgments were published in legal journals abroad. In this way Senate activities were promoted abroad.
The work of the Senate was profoundly affected by new fundamental regulations enacted after the coup d’etat of May 15, 1934 that required the judges and the justices to refrain from theoretical opinions and practical expressions in support of the principle of separation of powers. In its stead, the judiciary was required to express its support of a unified and indivisible state power "supported by which the judicial bodies can independently perform their judicial function in cooperation and harmony with other bodies of the state power" (quoted from a speech by Justice Minister Apsitis at a meeting of the Senate on May 15, 1936).
However, the Senate was also able to protect the judiciary during the autocratic period, even though Kristaps Valters, Chair of the Senate assembly, lost his post. The Senate then received an authoritative hint to send a letter of congratulation to Prime Minister Karlis Ulmanis, emphasising the legal meaning of the coup d'etat. Kristaps Valters tried to decline this request, indicating that he could send a letter of congratulation, but could not recognise the legality of the coup d'etat.
Both of the Ministry of Justice and the Prime Minister of Justice propagated the idea of "Latvian law" and "Latvian courts", indicating that "a judgment may not be appropriate, if ... the judge's convictions are not in full harmony with the ideas of 15 May". In fact, the legal system was required to serve political objectives. However, the judgments of the Senate paid no "fees" to the ideas of 15 May. Notably, Karlis Ulmanis expressed a wish to become Judge Emeritus, but several senators raised objections and Ulmanis was not granted his wish.
