2. janvāris, 2019.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ivars Bickovics and relatives of the senators Janis Skudre, Mintauts Cakste, Janis Ankravs, Fridrihs Vesmanis, Augusts Rumpeters, and Vladimirs Bukovskis
Former and current judges of the Supreme Court
The sole direct descendent of the senators who attended the event – Girts Rumpeters, son of senator Augusts Rumpeters
The emotional songs performed by Ieva Akuratere reminded of the National Awakening and Rebirth of the Republic of Latvia and the Senate
Videmars Rumpeters gives blessing to the continuators of the work of the Senate
The atmosphere of the event was filled with positive energy and interest
On 19 December, the centenary of the highest court of Latvia – the Senate – was solemnly celebrated having a look back at the work done.
The event was attended by relatives of senators, former and present judges and employees of the Supreme Court, representatives of the judiciary, representatives of regional courts and district (city) courts, as well as those in municipalities, museums, universities and elsewhere who helped to implement the centenary projects of the Supreme Court. They who shared the thoughts on the work done in cooperation with the Supreme Court.
Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union Egils Levits stressed the importance of institutional memory and noted the most significant points in the history of the Senate of Latvia. Anita Rodiņa, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia, pointed to the important link between science and practice, which has always been considered self-evident by the Senate and senators, while the docent of the Faculty of Law Janis Pleps described the modernity of the heritage of the Senate of Latvia illustrating this with bright examples. Historian Valters Scerbinskis, who has compiled biographical dictionaries about several professions, emphasized the high moral standards of judges and their responsibility for the prestige of the profession.
The importance of the commemorative events in honour of senators in the opening of the historical heritage of the regions was addressed by Lija Sele, Head of Rumba Parish, Vilnis Spats, Chair of Cesvaine Municipality Council, and Elina Stapulone, Chair of Priekuļi Municipality Council.
Emotional speeches were given by senators' grandchildren Vera Mihejeva, Kristine Cakste and Videmars Rumpeters. Videmars Rumpeters, pastor of Bergi Evangelical Lutheran Church, gave a blessing to continuators of the work of the Senate.
The first Chief Justice of the restored Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia, Gvido Zemribo, welcomed the return of the historic name “the Senate” to the Supreme Court, while Minister of Justice Dzintars Rasnacs talked about the values recognized by judges as important for the Latvian judicial system.
Chairs of the Senate’s Departments of Administrative and Civil Cases Veronika Krumina and Peteris Dzalbe and Deputy Chair of the Department of Civil Cases Edite Vernusa expressed their wishes to their colleagues through the statements of senators of the Senate, that are summarized in the book “Conclusions of Senators. A hundred and more”, received by all participants of the event as a gift in the Senate’s hundredth anniversary.
The celebration of the centenary anniversary of the Senate of Latvia testifies that the history of the Senate is alive not only in history books and archival documents, and not only in the memories of the families of senators, but also in the work of the Senators of the Senate. "We are responsible for the future of the Senate of Latvia," said Ivars Bickovics, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
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
