The latest exhibition in the lobby of the Supreme Court tells about administrative courts, about two laws and their application – the Law on Administrative Courts 100 years ago and the Administrative Procedure Law 20 years ago.

The first exhibit is the Government Gazette (Valdības Vēstnesis), which contains the Law on Administrative Courts in published 1921, which laid the foundation for administrative justice in Latvia. Further information narrates about the highest court instance in the application of this Law until 1940, namely about the Administrative Department of the Latvian Senate. It tells about the chairpersons of the Department Kristaps Valters and Jānis Kalacs, about senators and their activities before or after serving as senators, as well as about their fates after the occupation of Latvia.

The second part of the exhibition, dedicated to the drafting of the Administrative Procedure Law in restored Latvia, displays special exhibits – more than 20 years old working materials of President Egils Levits, perfectly systematized and arranged in thick folders. They bear witness of his initially seemingly hopeless struggle for administrative rights, which were incomprehensible to anyone. Furthermore, there are materials on the working group for the development of the Administrative Procedure Law led by Arvīds Dravnieks, containing colourful versions of draft laws, schemes, minutes of meetings and even a special music compact disc. The following is a story about how the members of the working group helped to bring their own law to life – by teaching, writing manuals and becoming judges themselves.

As the exhibition is arranged in the Supreme Court, a separate section is dedicated to the Department of Administrative Cases of the Senate, which was established in 2004. It tells the story not only about the results of the work of senators in the cases examined, books written and the training of their assistants for becoming judges, but also it tells about the contribution to the legal education of the society and the formation of a legal culture. As well as about the Department's life outside of work and about senators' hobbies.

The last part of the exhibition introduces the centenary events and unchanging values ​​of Administrative Justice – planted lilacs, filmed interviews, conversations with students. It tells also about a nice time together at the Lilac Zoom party and the exciting "V.I.P." game on television. This part of the exhibition is not completed yet, because the centenary of Administrative Justice is still going on.

Due to the measures restricting the spread of Covid-19, it is currently not possible to visit the exhibition. We look forward to betterment of the situation!

 

 

Information prepared by

Rasma Zvejniece, the Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: +371 67020396, +371 28652211