Latgale faces Latvia’s worst shortage of judges

Latvia is facing a shortage of judges, with Latgale District Court having fewer than two-thirds of its positions filled, LSM reported. The situation is expected to worsen as many judges approach retirement age.

The Judiciary Council has set the optimal number of judges at the court at 36. However, only 25 positions are currently filled, leaving 11 vacancies.

“By October this year, we will have only 23 judges actually working. One new judge has started, but, if I am not mistaken, she is the only new judge to have joined us in the past six years,” said Pēteris Novičenoks, chairman of Latgale District Court.

Judges are lacking in all regions of Latvia, but Latgale has one of the highest vacancy rates. Riga is also facing a difficult situation, even though district court judges receive the same salary nationwide: just under 4,000 euros per month before taxes.

“We are more or less able to fill positions elsewhere, as new judges join other courts. But practically no one has applied to work in Latgale in recent recruitment rounds. People apply for the competitions, but no one wants to come to Latgale,” said Aigars Strupišs, chairman of the Judiciary Council.

Latgale District Court said it was difficult to attract staff for several reasons, including salaries that cannot compete with the private sector and a significant decline in the number of qualified specialists.

The coming years are also not promising, as many judges are expected to retire soon. The Judiciary Council currently has no clear solution to the problem.

“We will certainly look for solutions so that Latgale is not left without courts. In the worst case, there are other options, such as holding travelling court hearings or temporarily assigning a judge to the Latgale court,” Strupišs said.

“But in the long term, I do not currently see a solution if young people from Latgale do not study law and return to Latgale,” he added.

Novičenoks said that two or three people from the region could obtain master’s degrees in law each year at Rēzekne Academy of Technologies. However, candidates for a judgeship must be at least 30 years old and have worked in the legal profession for five years.