A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute. It is distinct from the long title or enacting formula of a law.
The Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a country is eligible to join the European Union. The criteria require that a state has the institutions to preserve democratic governance and human rights, has a functioning market economy, and accepts the obligations and intent of the European Union.
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established rules, rights, and freedoms, among other things.
University of Latvia is a public research university located in Riga, Latvia. The university was established in 1919.
The Constitution of Latvia, ratified on February 15, 1922, contains a provision regarding one of the reserve powers of the President of Latvia to initiate the dissolution of the parliament. According to Article 48-50 of the Constitution,
Latvia has recognised civil unions since 1 July 2024. On 9 November 2023, the Saeima passed legislation establishing same-sex civil unions conferring similar rights and obligations as marriage with the exception of adoption and inheritance rights. The bill was signed into law by President Edgars Rinkēvičs in January 2024, and took effect on 1 July 2024. This followed a ruling from the Constitutional Court of Latvia on 12 November 2020 that the Latvian Constitution entitles same-sex couples to receive the same benefits and protections afforded by Latvian law to married opposite-sex couples, and gave the Saeima until 1 June 2022 to enact a law protecting same-sex couples. In December 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that should the Saeima fail to pass civil union legislation before the 1 June 2022 deadline, same-sex couples may apply to a court to have their relationship recognized. The Saeima failed to meet this deadline, and the first same-sex union was recognized by the Administrative District Court on 30 May 2022.
The Constitution of Latvia is the fundamental law of the Republic of Latvia. Satversme is the oldest Eastern or Central European constitution still in force and the sixth oldest still-functioning republican basic law in the world. It was adopted, as it states itself in the text, by the people of Latvia, as represented in the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia, on 15 February 1922 and came into force on 7 November 1922. It was heavily influenced by Germany's Weimar Constitution and the Swiss Federal Constitution. The constitution establishes the main bodies of government ; it consists of 116 articles arranged in eight chapters.
Order of the Three Stars is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is Per aspera ad astra, meaning "Through hardships towards the stars". The Order has five ranks and three grades of medals of honour.
Aivars Endziņš was a Latvian lawyer and politician. He graduated from the University of Latvia in 1968 and in 1977 attained a candidate of legal sciences degree. In 1997 he became a Doctor of Jurisprudence. He has worked as a lecturer at the University of Latvia and at the Turība School of Business Administration. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1963 to 1990, when he became a member of the Popular Front of Latvia and a member of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia. He was for a short time a member of Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party, and in 1993 became a member of Latvian Way. He was a member of the 5th and 6th Saeimas, but resigned in 1996 to become a judge on the Constitutional Court of Latvia. He became the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court in 2000 and left this office in 2007. He was a presidential candidate in the 2007 Latvian presidential election, nominated by Harmony Centre and supported by the New Era Party and the political alliance For Human Rights in a United Latvia. After a passionate debate over his membership of the Communist Party, which included a revelation that in the 1970s he had denied the occupation of Latvia, he lost the election to Valdis Zatlers.
The Declaration "On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia" was adopted on 4 May 1990 by the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR in which Latvia declared independence from the Soviet Union. The Declaration stated that, although Latvia had de facto lost its independence in 1940, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union, the country had de jure remained a sovereign country as the annexation had been unconstitutional and against the will of the Latvian people.
The president of Latvia is head of state and commander-in-chief of the National Armed Forces of the Republic of Latvia.
The Government of Latvia is the central government of the Republic of Latvia. The Constitution of Latvia defines Latvia as a parliamentary republic represented by a unicameral parliament (Saeima) and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia, which form the executive branch of Latvia.
Ineta Ziemele is Latvian jurist and judge at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia since 2015. On 8 May 2017 she was elected as President of the Constitutional Court.
Latvian law is a part of a legal system of Latvia. It is largely civil, as opposed to a common, law system, based on epitomes in the German and French systems. The Latvian legal system is grounded on the principles laid out in the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia and safeguarded by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia.
The Constitutional Assembly of Latvia was independent Latvia's first elected legislative body. Its main task was creating the constitution of Latvia, the Satversme, which is still in effect to this day. The Speaker of Assembly was Jānis Čakste, who later became the first President of Latvia. The assembly functioned from May 1, 1920, until November 7, 1922, when the 1st Saeima convened.
For the Native Language! was a political party in Latvia. The party was led by Vladimir Linderman.
Egils Levits is a Latvian politician, lawyer, political scientist and jurist who served as the tenth president of Latvia from 2019 to 2023. He was a member of the European Court of Justice from 2004 to 2019.
The Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia or the Senate of Latvia is the highest level court in the three-tiered court system of Latvia. It deals with criminal, civil and administrative matters. Its oversight is determined in the Constitution, the structure and competence of the court are established by the Act On Judicial Power. The Court consists of the Civil Cases Court, three departments, administration and two divisions, located in the Palace of Justice on Brīvības bulvāris, Central Riga.
The Latvian Orthodox Autonomous Church, or All Holy Orthodox Church of Latvia, is a True Orthodox church in Latvia which is part of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church.
The Constitution Protection Bureau is a Latvian state security institution. It conducts intelligence and counterintelligence activities, ensures the protection of state secrets, as well as classified information of the European Union and NATO. The Bureau operates under the supervision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia.
Riga, Latvia 
