The Court

The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania was formed and started its activities from the 1st of January 2001, following the amendment of Law on the Establishment of Administrative Courts of 19th of September 2000.

According to the Law on Administrative Proceedings, the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania is the appellate instance for cases from decisions, rulings and orders of regional administrative courts as the courts of the first instance. Rulings of the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania are final and not subject to appeal.

The Supreme Administrative Court is also the first and final instance for certain categories of administrative cases assigned to its jurisdiction by law.

The Supreme Administrative Court is responsible for developing of uniform practice of administrative courts in interpretation and application of statutes and other legal acts. For that purpose the Supreme Administrative Court periodically issues its bulletin under the title "Practice of Administrative Courts". Interpretation with regard to the application of statutes and other legal acts found in the decisions, rulings and orders which are published in the bulletin of the Supreme Administrative Court shall be taken into account by courts, state and other institutions as well as by other entities when applying these statutes and other legal acts.

According to the Law on Courts of the Republic of Lithuania, the Supreme Administrative Court is composed of the President, the Vice-president and other justices. At present there are fourteen justices serving at the Court, together with the President and the Vice-president.

Cases at the Supreme Administrative Court are heard by a chamber of three justices, an extended chamber of five justices or a plenary session of the Supreme Administrative Court. Plenary session is deemed lawful where it is attended by at least two-thirds of the justices of the Court.

Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania as a Court of the Highest Instance

The Lithuanian system of administrative courts consists of the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania (hereinafter – also the Court) and five regional administrative courts, located in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania, the highest judicial instance in administrative cases, is responsible for forming a uniform practice of administrative courts in the area of interpretation and application of laws and other legal acts. Individuals, persons defending public interest and everyone else, filing applications against unlawful actions of government agencies (officials), first apply to the courts of first instance, the decisions of which may then be appealed against to the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania. The decisions and rulings of the Court are final and not subject to appeal.

However, in some cases prescribed by law, individuals may apply directly to the Supreme Administrative Court. For example, members of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania (the Seimas), courts, the Seimas ombudsmen, the Children’s Rights Ombudsman, national audit officers and prosecutors are entitled to challenge the lawfulness of normative administrative acts by applying directly to the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania. Furthermore, the resolution of disputes concerning violations of the laws on election or referendum is also assigned to the jurisdiction of administrative courts. Individuals specified in the Law on Presidential Election, the Law on Election to the Seimas, the Law on Referendum and the Law on Election to Municipal Councils are entitled to file petitions concerning decisions of the Central Electoral Commission directly to the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania. In such cases the Court adopts decisions as a court of sole and final instance.