Division of Case-law and Research

One of the basic functions of the Supreme Court, which is stipulated in the Section 28⁶, Paragraphs Four and Five, of the law “On Judicial Power”, is development of uniform case-law. Enforcement of this task is the goal of the Division of Case-law and Research.

Functions of the Division:

• In cooperation with judges of the Supreme Court and invited experts, to summarize and study case-law on topical legal issues;

• To prepare summaries, compilations and information materials including conclusions and recommendations in development of uniform case-law;

• To select and systematize rulings of departments of the Supreme Court of legal interest;

• To select case-law theses and to improve case-law database;

• To elaborate studies on solutions of particular problems in field of the European Union law and international law, case-law of international courts, or laws and case-law of other countries;

• To ensure training of judges on summarized case-law. 

Additional tasks of the Division:

• To anonymize rulings of departments before publishing;

• To sum up statistics of the Supreme Court and to prepare statistical reports;

• To improve and maintain the reading-room of the Supreme Court. 

The Division of Case-law and Research does not provide individual consultations.

Information on availability of rulings is accessible in the section For visitors/ Procedure for releasing information. The most topical rulings of departments of the Supreme Court, which were adopted as from 2002, have been, in turn, published on the web site of the Supreme Court in the section Case-law/Archive of case-law decisions. 

Staff of the Division

Head of the Division of Case-law and Research Anita Zikmane

• Anita Zikmane has been the head of the Division since 2016. She has been working at the Supreme Court since 2013: she had been an assistant to the President of the Supreme Court, later – an adviser on EU law. Previously, she had been a lawyer in the Court of Justice of the European Union and an assistant to a judge in the Court of First Instance of the Court of European Communities, the Director of the Department of Civil Law and the Head of the Division of the Court of European Communities at the Ministry of Justice.

Legal research counsel Reinis Markvarts

• He has been working in the Supreme Court since 2016. Prior to that, he had been working in the Ministry of Culture, in the Ministry of Education and Science, in the University of Latvia, as well as had been working on the periodical "Likums un Tiesibas" ("Law and Rights"), and in the Regional Administrative Court. In 2013 he obtained a Doctor of Laws degree in the University of Latvia. 

Legal research counsel Elīna Grigore-Bāra

• She has been working in the Supreme Court since 2022. At the same time, she has been holding the academic position of associate professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia. In 2013, she obtained a Doctor of Laws degree.

Consultant Kristīne Ivulāne

• She has been working in the Division of Case-law and Research since 2017. Prior to that, she worked in the Latvian Centre for Human Rights, Rēzekne Polish State Gymnasium and the State Police.

Consultant Evita Frīdentāle

• She has been working in the Division of Case-law and Research since 2017. From 1996 to 2017 she worked in the Chamber of Civil Cases of the Supreme Court.

Consultant Annija Lazdiņa

• She has been working in the Supreme Court since 2019, at first in the Chancery, but since 2021 – in the Division of Case-law and Research.

Consultant Kitija Ozoliņa

• She has been working in the Supreme Court since 2024.

Consultant on law application issues Zinaīda Indrūna

• She has been working in the Supreme Court since 1996. At the beginning she was a senator's ssistant, later – an assistant to the Division of Case-law. Since 2004 she has been participating in producing and annotating the yearbook of judgments of the Department of Civil Cases.

Consultant on law application issues Signe Skutele

• She has been working in the Supreme Court since 2024.

Editor of legal texts Liena Henke

• She has been working in the Division of Case-law and Research since 2017. Previously she worked as proof-reader and editor for the internet portal of official publisher “Latvijas Vestnesis”, also as a proof-reader for the official gazette “Latvijas Vestnesis and as a proof-reader and editor of Publishing House of Yearbook of “Latvijas Vestnesis”.