Continuing the cooperation between the Supreme Court and the National Archives of Latvia, the collection of digital materials of the Archives "Insight into the Senate Documents 1919-1940" is supplemented. Now, everyone interested can get acquainted with the registers of the sessions of the General Assembly and assignment hearings of the Senate, that are stored in the State Historical Archives of Latvia (a unit of the National Archives of Latvia) – the fund No 1535 "The Senate of Latvia".

The collection of digital materials was established two years ago by the National Archives of Latvia on the initiative of the Senate of Latvia, by digitizing and making available to the public part of the materials of the Office of Senate’s Rulings.

Now this collection of the Senate’s documents which can be viewed on the website of the National Archives is supplemented by the ‘basic documents’ – registers of the sessions and assignment hearings of the General Assembly of the Senate from 1919 until 1940 (except years 1936, 1937 and 1938, which have not been found in the archives).

The Senate of Latvia was the court of cassation in the Latvian judicial system from 1918 to 1940. The General Assembly was a joint institution of all three departments of the Senate, made up of all senators.

Starting from July 1919, the senators met several times each week for joint meetings, mainly to discuss financial and organizational issues, as well as to develop laws and regulations related to the courts.

Later on, the Senate’s General Assembly heard more complicated and controversial cases received by the Senate. In total, it has adjudicated more than 650 cases.

The General Assembly itself elected its chairman, chairmen of departments and members of the Supreme Disciplinary Court, and, in case of vacant posts, it appointed new senators. At the suggestion of the Minister for Justice, the Assembly also gave opinions in order to indicate the correct and uniform interpretation of the law.

All this is registered in the journals of the sessions and assignment hearings of the General Assembly and signed by the senators. It can be said that these are registers of the life and work history of the Senate of the Republic of Latvia.

These materials will be useful not only for the Supreme Court to continue the work and traditions of the Senate of the Republic of Latvia, but also for other judicial authorities and the judicial system as a whole – to study the historical facts and ensure the continuity of the basic principles of the judicial system. Materials could also be useful in the work of Latvian historians specialized in the field of law. The joint work of the Supreme Court and the National Archives, making the Senate documents readily available in digital form, is a gift to Latvian lawyers in the centenary of the Senate of Latvia.

The collection of digital materials “Insight into documents of the Senate of Latvia. 1919 – 1940” can be found at: www.arhiviem.lv/Virtual exhibitions and digital resources/Digitized documents (in Latvian)

 

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 2865221