The Constitutional Court takes advantage of technology to ensure uninterrupted work and continuous examination of cases during the state of emergency
In order to restrict the spread of the Covid-19 virus, on 12 March Latvia declared a state of emergency which was extended to 12 May. During the state of emergency the Constitutional Court takes precautionary measures to suppress the spread of the virus and prevent health risks to the staff and visitors of the Court. The Constitutional Court has made adjustments to its operations so that it may ensure uninterrupted work of the Court using remote work possibilities offered by technology, including video conferencing.
Since the state of emergency has been announced, the Constitutional Court has received 26 applications and referred them to Court Panels for examination. The Panels have issued 19 decisions to dismiss a case and 7 decisions to initiate a case (2020-16-01; 2020-17-0103; 2020-18-01; 2020-19-0103; 2020-20-03; 2020-21-01; 2020-22-01). The Court has delivered four judgments (2019-11-01; 2019-13-01; 2019-10-0103; 2019-15-01) and issued one decision to terminate the proceedings (2019-14-03).
The Constitutional Court is currently implementing new technological solutions that will enable it to hold the first remote Constitutional Court hearing with case participants being present on 23 April. The case (2019-12-01) will be heard in the form of a video conference to observe the distancing requirements. In remote court proceedings, the Constitutional Court has to comply with both national safety measures for the protection of public health and the principles of fair justice laid down in the Constitutional Court Law in respect of court hearings with case participants being present.
Case participants and third parties will be made aware of the court hearing procedures and requirements to be observed during a remote court hearing. The court hearing with case participants being present will be available for watching live in the Constitutional Court youtube account. The information will be available on the Constitutional Court homepage and in its twitter account @Satv_tiesa the following week.
The Constitutional Court continues to encourage potential applicants, case participants and third parties to communicate with the Court electronically or leave documents in a mailbox located at the Court entrance.
If you have any questions, please contact us using the details below:
for information about filing documents and circulation of documents, please call +371 67210274 or email us at tiesa@satv.tiesa.gov.lv
case participants can contact us for information about case materials by calling +371 67830746 or emailing us at tiesa@satv.tiesa.gov.lv.