On 7 February, district (town) judges Madara Štorha, Alise Trukšāne, Jānis Kucenko, Vadims Terentjevs, Agnese Adgere, Guntra Kuple, Inga Pētersone and Lāsma Lipkina gave judicial oath in front of the President of Latvia Egils Levits in a swearing in ceremony in the Riga Castle.
Address of the President of Latvia Egils Levits to the judges:
‘One of the distinguishing traits of judges, compared to other legal professions, is independence. Such professional independence is an enormous opportunity, but it is also a great responsibility.
There are three core principles mentioned in your oath: truth, justice and accountability.
You must have a specific skills set and toolbox to establish object truth. You naturally rely on the existing laws to do so, but at the end of the day it is judge who must establish the object truth and its practical elements.
Pursuit of justice is equally important in adjudication. Justice is a construct much more complicated than truth. It is much more subjective and intricately linked to sense of accountability, the third principle that I just mentioned. You have certain freedom in deciding how justice can be reached given the circumstances, or the object truth.
So, when making a judgement, you go through these three phases: truth, justice and accountability. Your ability to reconcile them is what determines the public opinion about judiciary and its performance.
Never forget about these principal elements! Good luck!’