Latvia’s Constitutional Court has pushed back by two months its deadline for preparing a case that could have bearing on Latvians in the diaspora who wish to apply for dual citizenship.

The court had expected to finish its preparations by Dec. 23 in the case involving a Latvian family in Germany who sued the Latvian government after being told they would have to renounce their German citizenship before they could apply for Latvian passports.

According to Constitutional Court spokeswoman Līna Kovalevska, the deadline has been rescheduled to Feb. 23.

“The deadline for preparing a case may be extended if the case is complicated,” Kovalevska told Latvians Online in an e-mail. The maximum time allowed for preparing a case is five months from its date of initiation, she added.

At the urging of Latvia’s Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court on Sept. 23 initiated the case challenging parts of the citizenship law. Transitional rules in the law allowed exile Latvians and their descendants until July 1995 to register as Latvian citizens without giving up citizenship in their home countries. Since that date, dual citizenship has been outlawed.

The Supreme Court in an Aug. 25 opinion said the restrictions are unconstitutional. The court now is waiting for word from the Constitutional Court before it rules on the case of Baiba Lapiņa-Strunska and Viktors Strunskis and their daughter Rauna. The family sued the government after the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (Pilsonības un migrācijas lietu pārvalde, or PMLP) told them that they would have to give up their German citizenship before they could register as Latvian citizens. According to the Strunskis family, passports issued to them by Latvian legations in exile were evidence that they already were Latvian citizens, but the PMLP disagreed.

Approximately 30,000 ethnic Latvians abroad became dual citizens before the 1995 deadline. However, others have complained that they did not know about the cut-off date.

Once the Constitutional Court finishes its preparations, it would schedule a hearing date for the case. Under court rules, it is supposed to issue an opinion within 30 days of the hearing.

Latvian hockey player Arturs Irbe, known as the “The Wall” during his years as a successful goaltender, will be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame, the International Ice Hockey Federation has announced in Zurich, Switzerland.

The induction ceremony will take place on May 21 in Cologne, Germany, during the 74th IIHF World Championship. Irbe, who now serves as the goaltending coach for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League, will become the second Latvian inductee. Helmuts Balderis was inducted in 1998.

IIHF President René Fasel was able to bring the news directly to Irbe, according to a federation press release.

“A very unusual thing happened when I was visiting Vancouver this week and Arturs Irbe happened to be in town with the Washington Capitals, where he is the goaltending coach,” Fasel said. “This gave me a unique opportunity to tell someone directly about him being selected. I am very happy for Arturs. He was the first true Team Latvia superstar.”

Irbe, 44, began playing professional hockey for Dinamo Rīga in the Soviet national league and was named Rookie of the Year during the 1987-1988 season.

In 1991, Irbe began playing in the NHL, first for the San Jose Sharks, followed by the Dallas Stars, the Vancouver Canucks and the Carolina Hurricanes. He also represented Latvia during the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, serving in the latter event as his country’s flag bearer during the opening ceremonies. Irbe also played for Latvia in eight IIHF World Championships.

Also to be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame are Riikka Nieminen of Finland (becoming the fourth woman to earn the honor),  Dieter Hegen of Germany, Vladimir Krutov of Russia and Rickard Fagerlund of Sweden. Lou Vairo of the United States will receive the Paul Loicq Award for outstanding contributions to international hockey.

The IIHF Hall of Fame was introduced in 1997. It now includes 160 hockey players from 22 countries.

Balderis, the first Latvian inductee, was one of the best players to come out of Soviet Latvia. His career included playing for the Soviet Union’s Olympic hockey team, for Dinamo Rīga and for the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL.