Egils Levits

Egils Levits
File:Ministru prezidents Valdis Dombrovskis tiekas ar Eiropas Kopienu tiesas tiesnesi Egilu Levitu (7995453799).jpg Egils Levits in 2012
Judge of the European Court of Justice
Incumbent
Assumed office 2004
Minister for Justice of Latvia
In office 8 March 1993 – 19 September 1994
President	Guntis Ulmanis
Prime Minister	Valdis Birkavs
Preceded by	Viktors Skudra
Succeeded by	Romāns Apsītis
Personal details
Born	(1955-06-30) June 30, 1955 Riga, Soviet Union (now Latvia)
Nationality	Latvian
Political party	Independent Latvian Way (1993–1994)
Alma mater	University of Hamburg

Egils Levits (born 30 June 1955) is a Latvian lawyer, political scientist and judge. He has been a Member of the European Court of Justice since 2004. During the late Soviet-era he was a member of the Popular Front of Latvia and contributed to the declaration of renewed Latvian independence in 1990. He was Minister for Justice of Latvia from 1993 to 1994 and ambassador to Hungary, Austria and Switzerland from 1994 to 1995. He was then appointed a Judge of the European Court of Human Rights, a position he held until 2004. He finished second in the indirect election for President of Latvia in 2015 behind Raimonds Vējonis. Although an Independent, he was the candidate of the National Alliance.