The intensity of the work of the Supreme Court during the emergency situation due to Covid-19 has not decreased; in the first half of this year, the Senate reviewed more cases than received. The case review ratio is 108%, which is relatively higher than in the previous year.

Statistics show that in the first half of this year 1471 cases were received in the Senate, but 8% more were considered, i.e. 1585 cases in total. However, taking into account the backlog of cases of the previous year, the accumulation of cases has not significantly decreased, namely, at the end of the first half of the year there were 1527 cases pending in the Senate.

When comparing the situation in departments, the highest case review ratio was in the Department of Civil Cases, where 726 cases were reviewed – it is 21% more than received during this time; the accumulation of cases has decreased by 20%. The Department of Administrative Cases has reviewed 501 cases; the case review ratio is positive too (103%). The Department of Criminal Cases dealt with 358 cases in the first half of the year, which is 29 cases less than received during this period.

In the Department of Civil Cases, the average length of proceedings has decreased by 33 days – in the first half of this year it was 204 days. The average length of proceedings has decreased by 17 days in the Department of Administrative Cases; administrative cases are examined in 380 days on average. In the Department of Criminal Cases, the average length of proceedings was 91 days.

The case review ratio is the ratio between the number of cases dealt with during certain period and the number of cases received. If the ratio is above 100%, then at least as many cases are reviewed as received, if the ratio is less than 100% – an accumulation of cases is formed. Such ratios are used for the calculations done by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), which prepares comparative reports on the judicial systems of the European Union.

 

 

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