The Price of Justice: Financial Barriers to Effective Judicial Protection

This legal study examines effective access to court in Latvia, focusing on court fees, assessment of financial capacity, mechanical reliance on registered assets, and the use of extra-record online information in judicial decision-making. It analyses these issues in the light of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and the principle that access to justice must be practical and effective rather than merely theoretical. Particular attention is given to the distinction between nominal asset ownership and actual liquidity, as well as to adversarial safeguards where information obtained outside the case file may influence access to judicial review.