History

HISTORY

By virtue of the Law on Establishment of Administrative Courts of the Republic of Lithuania No. VIII-1030 adopted on 14 January 1999, administrative courts were established in Lithuania and started to operate on 1 May 1999. The system of newly established administrative courts consisted of 2 Regional Administrative Courts, the Higher Administrative Court and the Administrative Case Division of the Court of Appeals of Lithuania.

Vilnius Regional Administrative Court also started its activities on 1 May 1999. Pursuant to Decree No. 365 of the President of the Republic of Lithuania of 24 March 1999 a number of 10 judges was established in Vilnius Regional Administrative Court. By Decrees No. 385, 389, 391 and 395 of 19 April 1999 the first judges of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court were appointed: Laimė Baltrūnaitė, Rūta Miliuvienė, Nijolė Šidagienė, Zita Smirnovienė and Donatas Vansevičius. Judge Zita Smirnovienė was appointed the Chairman of the Court and she served as Chairman until July 2011.

As of 1 May 1999, the Court has been hearing cases concerning the actions of and decisions reached by local authority and territorial institutions of State administration located within the territory of operation of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, also concerning resolutions of officials in administrative cases. As of 1 September 2000, pursuant to the Law of the Republic of Lithuania No. VIII-1784 amending the Law on the Status of Refugees in the Republic of Lithuania adopted on 29 June 2000, cases concerning the decisions on asylum matters reached by the Migration Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania were also assigned to the Court.

The Law on Establishment of Administrative Courts was amended by the Law No. VIII-1928 of 19 September 2000 and, as of 1 January 2001, the administrative court system of the Republic of Lithuania is composed of 5 Regional Administrative Courts established previously and the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania. As of 1 January 2001 the competence of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court has been quite significantly expanded. The number of complaints received has been increasing each year. Therefore, by Decree of the President of the Republic of Lithuania No. 1300 of 1 May 2001, the number of judges was increased up to 16, by Decree No. 1900 of 20 September 2002 – up to 20, and by Decree No. 727 of 25 August 2006 – up to 24 judges.

As of 1 July 2004, the Court is working in a reconstructed building in the centre of Vilnius located at Žygimantų Str. 2. On the ground floor, 8 courtrooms are equipped on both sides of a spacious corridor and there are judge deliberation rooms next to the courtrooms. Separate Court registries and the premises for reception of complaints and access to the files are also equipped. The Archive of the Court is located in the basement of the building.