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Separate opinions in the constitutional jurisdictions of the Baltic States: Applicants and politicization of judgments Cover

Separate opinions in the constitutional jurisdictions of the Baltic States: Applicants and politicization of judgments

Acta Politologica
Volume 17 (2025): Issue 1 (April 2025)
By: Hannes BirkenbeulORCID  
Open Access
|Apr 2025

Figures & Tables

Figure 1

Estonia 1993–2022: Aggregated Separate Opinion Quota by Applicant. Source: Own Survey. The number of cases in the survey period is in parentheses and the rates are rounded to four decimal places.
Estonia 1993–2022: Aggregated Separate Opinion Quota by Applicant. Source: Own Survey. The number of cases in the survey period is in parentheses and the rates are rounded to four decimal places.

Figure 2

Latvia 1997–2022: Aggregated Separate Opinion Quota by Applicant. Source: Own Survey. The number of cases in the survey period is in parentheses and the rates are rounded to four decimal places.
Latvia 1997–2022: Aggregated Separate Opinion Quota by Applicant. Source: Own Survey. The number of cases in the survey period is in parentheses and the rates are rounded to four decimal places.

Figure 3

Lithuania 2008–2022: Aggregated Separate Opinion Quota by Applicant. Source: Own Survey. The number of cases in the survey period is in parentheses and the rates are rounded to four decimal places.
Lithuania 2008–2022: Aggregated Separate Opinion Quota by Applicant. Source: Own Survey. The number of cases in the survey period is in parentheses and the rates are rounded to four decimal places.

Number of cases by type of procedure and applicant in Estonia (since 1993), Latvia (since 1997), and Lithuania (since 2008)_

Type of procedureApplicantEstoniaLatviaLithuania
Abstract Judicial ReviewQuorum Parliament (MP) 4967.1671
Parliament 16.333
President1515.5
Cabinet/Minister 25
Justice Chancellor/Ombudsperson4330.5
Attorney General 3
Audit Office 3
Judicial Council 1
Concrete Judicial ReviewCourt24361154
Constitutional ComplaintAnyone57220.5
Election ReviewAnyone201
Competence ComplaintMunicipal Council3514
Not Assignable2 6 20
Total 600385268

Comparison of separate opinion quotas between applicant groups_

EstoniaLatviaLithuania
Group (a) [0]0.0621 [51] (0.1338)0.0240 [88.5] (0.0501)
Individual rights or competencies not affected/weaken political opponents
Group (b) 0.0801 [58] (0.1619)0.0547 [38.5] (0.1278)0.0101 [5] (0.0000)
Individual rights or competencies not affected/not weaken political opponents
Group (c) 0.0286 [35] (0.1886)0.0204 [14] (0.0000)[0]
Individual rights or competencies affected/weaken political opponents
Group (d) 0.0223 [501] (0.1123)0.0469 [281.5] (0.1186)0.0220 [154] (0.1117)
Individual rights or competencies affected/not weaken political opponents

Expected levels of politicization by applicants_

Pol. dimension: Possibilities of the applicant (H1)
Weaken political opponentsNot weaken political opponents
Legal dimension: Affection of the applicant (H2)Individual rights or competencies not affected (a) High

  • (Members of) Parliament [abstract judicial review]

  • (Members of) Government [abstract judicial review]

 (b) Medium-high

  • President [abstract judicial review]

  • Chancellor of Justice / Ombudsperson [abstract judicial review]

  • Audit Office, Attorney General, Justice Council [abstract judicial review]

Individual rights or competencies affected (c) Medium-low

  • Municipal Council [Competence complaint]

 (d) Low

  • Court [concrete judicial review]

  • Anyone: natural and legal persons [(kind of) Constitutional complaint, Election review]

Comparison of separate opinion rates between categories_

EstoniaLatviaLithuania
Cat. 1: Weaken political opponents
Possible0.0286 [35]0.0531 [65]0.0240 [88.5]
Impossible0.0283 [559]0.0478 [320]0.0216 [159.5]
Difference+0.0003+0.0053+0.0024
Kat. 2: Legal affection
Not existing0.0801 [58]0.0589 [89.5]0.0232 [94]
Existing0.0227 [536]0.0456 [295.5]0.022 [154]
Difference+0.0574+0.0133+0.0012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/acpo-2025-0001 | Journal eISSN: 1803-8220 | Journal ISSN: 1804-1302
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Language: English
Page range: 1 - 18
Submitted on: Sep 15, 2024
Accepted on: Mar 12, 2025
Published on: Apr 28, 2025
Published by: Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 2 issues per year
Keywords:
Separate opinions,
Constitutional jurisdictions,
Baltic states,
Politicization,
Constitutional applicants
Related subjects:
History,
Topics in history,
Economic history,
Philosophy,
Political philosophy and social philosophy,
Social sciences,
Sociology,
Political sociology,
Political science,
Political science, other

© 2025 Hannes Birkenbeul, published by Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

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