Newly elected Committee on Judicial Ethics called to the first meeting by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on the 22nd of June, elected Visvaldis Sprudzans, the deputy of the Chair of Zemgale regional Court for the post of the Chair of the Committee. Dzintra Balta, the judge of the Riga Regional Court was elected for the post of the deputy of the Chair of the Committee. Visvaldis Sprudzans is elected for the post of the Chair of this institution of judicial self-government repeatedly.

Ivars Bickovics, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Chair of the Board of Justice approved operation of the first Committee on Judicial Ethics, creating this institution of judicial self-government like advisor for judges rather than tool for repressions. The Chief Justice pointed out update of role of judicial self-government institutions also in relation to discussions about implementation of unified regulation on disciplinary responsibility for all professions relevant to court system.

Members of the Committee on Judicial Ethics also exchanged conclusions about successes and problems of work of the first Committee, as well as drafted possible future directions of operation. Those who had worked in the first committee already admitted that work was hard and difficult, but interesting. The greatest satisfaction was about the fact that it was possible to establish cooperation with the Board of Sworn Advocates and the Prosecutor’s Office, while creating guidelines of ethics, as well as about trust of judges-colleagues as to deliberative institution. Drafting new, modern Code of Judicial Ethics that would correspond to present situation will be the one of tasks of the Committee on Judicial Ethics during next term of office.

The first Committee on Judicial Ethics was created in Judicial Conference in 2008. According to the law “On Judicial Power”, term of office of the Committee’s on Judicial Ethics members is four years, so on the 24th of May 2012 Judicial Conference elected new Committee on Judicial Ethics, and it was the first time when elections took place in electronic way. Nine members of the Committee on Judicial Ethics had to be elected, as Anita Kovalevska was elected in 2010 for the term of office of four years.

Lolita Marovska, the judge of the Valmiera district Department of landbooks, Iveta Andzane, the Chair of Bauska district court, Dzintra Balta, the judge of Riga regional court, Visvaldis Sprudzans, the deputy Chair of Zemgale regional court, Dace Mita, the senator of the Department of Administrative Cases of the Senate and Marika Senkane, the judge of the Chamber of Civil Cases of the Supreme Court were re-elected in the Committee on Judicial Ethics.

Agnese Skulme, the judge of Riga city Vidzeme Suburb Department of landbooks, Janis Grinbergs, the judge of Valmiera district court and Alla Silova, the judge of Latgale regional court, were elected in the Committee on Judicial Ethics for the first time.

 

Information prepared by

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

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