The Supreme Court is composed of two separate judicial bodies: the Senate and the Supreme Court Chambers.
The Senate has the authority to accept cassation appeals in all types of cases, and is the final and supreme judicial body in Latvia. There are three departments in the Senate: the Department of Civil Cases, the Department of Criminal Cases and the Department of Administrative Cases. The Chamber of Criminal Cases and the Chamber of Civil Cases are the appeals bodies which review cases that have been decided by the regional courts, as the court of first instance.
The total number of the Supreme Court judges has been established by Saeima, upon the recommendation of the Board of Justice. The total number of judges in the Senate and Chambers has been determined by the Board of Justice, upon the recommendation by the Chief Justice.
Number of judges of the Supreme Court, established by the Saeima, is 53, but due to lack of finances, in composition of the Supreme Court in 2010 there are 24 senators (judges of the senate) and 21 judges in Chambers. All together they form the Plenum (common session) of the Supreme Court.
The Chief Justice has the responsibility for oversight over the work of the Supreme Court. Upon recommendation by a Plenary Session of the Supreme Court, a Chief Justice is selected from among the judges for confirmation by the Saeima (Parliament) for a seven-year term. Mr. Ivars Bickovics has been the Chief Justice since June 16, 2008.
Two deputies of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court have been elected by the Plenum for the term of 7 years among Chairs of Departments of the Senate and Chambers. In 2009, Mr. Pavels Gruzins, the Chairman of the Department of Criminal Cases of the Senate, and Mr. Gunars Aigars, the Chairman of the Chamber of Civil Cases of the Supreme Court, have been repeatedly elected as the deputies of the Chief Justice.
The Chairs of Departments and Chambers have been elected by the Plenum of the Supreme Court for the term of 5 years.
