7. 2009 NCRA Annual7
✦ 2500 judges
✦ civil, criminal, tourist
✦ oblast or kray
✦ state level
✦ labor, civil, criminal
✦ criminal juries only
✦ admin, minor felony
✦ appointment by QC
More then 60% judges are women
10. 2009 NCRA Annual10
All justices are appointed by
the Russian President, except
Justices of the Peace
✦ appoints J of P after advertising
in the newspaper
✦ can remove appointees
✦ current judges
✦ admins to the President
✦ public figures
14. 2009 NCRA Annual
Court Secretaries (CSs)
also:
✦ arrange the court docket
✦ set the court order
✦ provide administrative services to
their assigned judge
15. 2009 NCRA Annual
Court Secretaries (CSs)
have:
✦ a procedural role (compliance
enforcement)
✦ an obligation (code of ethics)
✦ rights (what is recorded)
16. 2009 NCRA Annual
A judge may consider the
merits of a CSs’ arguments
delivered in court, based
upon their knowledge of
procedural compliance and
precedence.
17. 2009 NCRA Annual
CSs are not freelancers, nor
are they permitted to accept
private employment
appointment
19. 2009 NCRA Annual
Prospective Russian college
students are tracked at 10-
12 years of age:
✦ Language = law/education
✦ Science = medicine/research
✦ Math = technology
20. 2009 NCRA Annual
CSs have worked as
lawyers* and have legal
experience through
educational cooperatives
*Remember: The Russian legal
system is no where near as complex
as the U.S. system and a law degree
is not required to practice in Russia.
21. 2009 NCRA Annual
The typical CS student:
✦ is 14-18 years old
✦ is in a college program that
specializes in “primary legal
practice”
✦ graduates with 99 of their
peers
✦ has spent 6-20 hours per
week working in the court
for 3-5 years
22. 2009 NCRA Annual
The typical CS student:
✦ earns a higher-education diploma
and advanced placement credits
towards a college degree by 18
✦ practices law before, during, or
after their service as a CS
23. 2009 NCRA Annual
Why do students become
CSs?
✦ career path to other judicial
appointments
✦ “inner urge”
✦ service to their country
✦ “I just knew”
✦ improve the judicial system
24. 2009 NCRA Annual
Does it surprise you that:
✦ If court minutes lack detail,
parties can request additional
documents or private video be
added to the archived records?
✦ The first copy of the transcript is
free; additionals are 25-80¢ per
page?
25. 2009 NCRA Annual
Does it surprise you that:
✦ You can photograph documents
with your cell phone (no charge)?
✦ Paper records are kept in a
climate-controlled area?
26. 2009 NCRA Annual
Does it surprise you that:
✦ Electronic storage of case files is
just beginning?
✦ Public records include only
decisions and rulings?
27. 2009 NCRA Annual
Does it surprise you that:
✦ Audiovisual recordings are just
being introduced?
✦ Telephone and video
conferencing is sometimes used
to hold remote sessions to cover
Russia’s 11 time zones?
28. 2009 NCRA Annual
Does it surprise you that:
✦ There is no separation of church
and state?
30. 2009 NCRA Annual
Stenography Bureau
✦ 5-7 different work stations (same
building) per trial
✦ audio segmented and streamed
to each station
✦ stenographer transcribes
verbatim segment on a computer
keyboard
✦ captured text recompiled
37. 2009 NCRA Annual
The Constitution of the Russian Federation
Ratified
December 12, 1993
Preamble
We, the multinational people of the Russian Federation, united by a common
destiny on our land, asserting human rights and liberties, civil peace and
accord, preserving the historic unity of the state, proceeding from the
commonly recognized principles of equality and self-determination of the
peoples honoring the memory of our ancestors, who have passed on to us love
of and respect for our homeland and faith in good and justice, reviving the
sovereign statehood of Russia and asserting its immutable democratic
foundations, striving to secure the well-being and prosperity of Russia and
proceeding from a sense of responsibility for our homeland before the present
and future generations, and being aware of ourselves as part of the world
community, hereby approve the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
38. 2009 NCRA Annual38
✦ Established October 30, 1991
✦ Power to enforce/amend Constitution
✦ Decides issues of law, not issues of acts
The Russian Constitution has 135
Articles that can be expended, but not
eliminated
39. 2009 NCRA Annual
The Constitutional Court
✦may be petitioned by
Federal and regional
authorities to apply an
interpret the Constitution
40. 2009 NCRA Annual
The Constitutional Court
✦can suspend a hearing
for violation, questioning,
or deviation or lower
courts’ proceedings
41. 2009 NCRA Annual
The Constitutional
Court
✦decides cases
exclusively on
matters of law
✦hears only non-
political cases
42. 2009 NCRA Annual
The Constitutional
Court
✦establishes its own
Rules of Procedure
✦considers and
decides cases in
plenary or chamber
sessions by majority
43. 2009 NCRA Annual
The Constitutional Court
✦comprises 2 chambers of
9 and 10 justices
✦makes final rulings (no
appeals)
44. 2009 NCRA Annual
The Constitutional Court
✦deems unconstitutional
provisions and declares
such as null and void
✦publishes dissensions to
decisions
45. 2009 NCRA Annual
The Constitutional Court
Justices
✦are appointed by the
Russian President
✦serve until 70 years of
age
✦employ a stenography
bureau to capture a
verbatim record
47. 2009 NCRA Annual
With the Russian CSs, we
share:
✦pride in our work
✦service to our country
and profession
✦desires to improve our
role in the justice system
