Aija Branta

President of the Constitutional Court

Aija Branta was born on 28 August 1957.

In 1983 she graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia, where in 2003 she acquired a Master’s degree in social sciences. In 1995 she mastered human rights at the Institute of European Law of the University of Birmingham, in 2002 – European Community and international law at the Riga Graduate School of Law, and in 2004 – international criminal law at the University of Florence.

She has been working in court system since 1983, from 1984 to 1992 being a judge at the Court of First Instance and from 1992 to 2004 – a justice of the Chamber of Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia.

She has taken part in seminars in numerous European countries, reporting on human rights, independence of judiciary, problems of preventing juvenile delinquency, alternative penalties for minors, as well as issues of international co-operation. From 2000 to 2003 she participated in activities of an expert committee established by the Council of Europe “The New Way of Dealing with Juvenile Delinquency and the Role of Courts,” and from 2000 to 2002 was an expert in a study course organized by the Association of the Universities and Colleges of Canada “Reform for Dedication of Latvian-Canadian Cooperation in the Field of Youth Justice.”

In 2006 Aija Branta became a member of the Consultative Council of European Judges and also a member of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice.

In 2004 Aija Branta was approved as the Judge of the Constitutional Court. In June 2011, she was elected the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court, but on 28 February 2014 – the President of the Constitutional Court.

Her term of office expired on 24 April 2014.

In 2021 she received the First Degree Honor Badge of the Justice System for her outstanding lifetime contribution to the justice system.

In 2021 she received an Honorary Diploma from the Constitutional Court for her contribution to strengthening Latvia as a democratic, legal, socially responsible and sustainable country.