Home Year 2023

Year 2023

Foreword

Villu Kõve, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

For several years, I have drawn attention to the extensive generational change within the judiciary and the challenges it poses to the judicial system. It must be admitted that the past year was no exception here ...

The judiciary as of early 2024

Ave Hussar, Head of the Supreme Court personnel and communication department
Kristi Jakobsoo, Human resources specialist at the Supreme Court


As of the beginning of 2024, there were 256 judge and justice positions in Estonia – together with the so-called temporary judge positions and the specifications established for 2024 – and 246 of these were filled. ...

15 years later: another attempt to change the administration of courts

Heiki Loot, Justice of the Supreme Court, head of the working group on the model of court administration
Mait Laaring, Adviser to the Constitutional Review Chamber of the Supreme Court


On 28 June 2023, chief judges met at the invitation of the Ministry of Justice to discuss the future of the administration of courts. ...

Development plan of the courts – for whom and for what?

Kaidi Lippus, Managing Director of the Chamber of Notaries, former Head of the Courts Division of the Ministry of Justice

At its 127th meeting on 8 December 2023, the Council for Administration of Courts (CAC) supported the formation of a working group for the preparation of the next development plan for the courts. ...

Artificial intelligence intervenes in proceedings

Toomas Vaher, Attorney-at-Law, Partner at Ellex Raidla Law Firm, Member of the Board of the Estonian Bar Association, Member of the Council for Administration of Courts

The topic of artificial intelligence is hot and maybe even overexploited: it is talked about at conferences, in training sessions and, with a cup of coffee in hand, in small talk. ...

Translation Service

Karmela Molodõk, Head of Translation Service

The idea of centralising translation services in the area of administration of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice was analysed in 2017. The establishment of a national translation centre was also discussed, but unfortunately it remained only an idea. ...

The Ethics Council in 2023

Andra Pärsimägi, Judge of Tartu Circuit Court, member of the Ethics Council

The Ethics Council is an advisory body to judges, acting on the basis of the rules of procedure adopted by the 18th regular court en banc on 8 February 2019. The Ethics Council consists of five judges elected by the court en banc and may include emeritus judges. ...

Overview of training provided to judges in 2023

Liina Reisberg, Head of the Legal Information and Judicial Training Department of the Supreme Court

In 2023, 68 training courses were organised, with a total duration of 88 training days. It was a busy year, with eight more training courses than in the previous year and 20 more training days than last year. ...

Summary of procedural statistics for county, administrative and circuit courts in 2023

Külli Luha, Analyst of the Courts Division of the Ministry of Justice

In 2023, 35,116 civil matters (0.7% increase compared to 2022) and 51,072 expedited payment order matters (1.2% decrease) were received by county courts for adjudication. ...

Review of Supreme Court matters in 2023

Signe Rätsep, Chief Specialist of the Legal Information and Judicial Training Department of the Supreme Court

The statistical data characterising the work of the Supreme Court include the number of requests for proceedings submitted to the Supreme Court and matters reviewed by three types of court proceedings: civil, administrative court and offence proceedings. ...