The judicial industry in the Russian Federation plays a special role: it is one of the three branches of government. The article will talk about the system of courts of general jurisdiction. This is the most important legal group in the state system of Russia, which every educated citizen needs to know about.
Federal Courts of General Jurisdiction: General Description
In accordance with the Law "On the Judicial System of the Russian Federation", the courts of general jurisdiction include bodies that are entitled to work with criminal, civil and administrative cases. The system is called "general" due to the fact that every citizen can apply here.
What is the system of courts of general jurisdiction in the Russian Federation? These are the supreme courts of regions, republics, territories and autonomous okrugs. Large military courts should be highlighted here. In the regions there are regional and global authorities, which are also included in the system.
All courts of general jurisdiction are aimed at protecting the rights and freedoms of people. Bodies work on the principles of humanity, legality and professionalism.
District Courts
District authorities comprise the largest group in the Russian justice system. Each district court has its own complex structure.
The district court is headed by the chairman. He has his deputies who monitor the work of ordinary judges. At the same time, management itself may have powers in the field of justice. The tasks of the district court are as follows:
- acceptance of claims and registration of new cases;
- filling in the electronic court system;
- distribution of duties between judicial officers;
- paperwork upon completion of the case and their delivery to the archive;
- control over payment of court fees, etc.
The district court is a key link in the system of courts of general jurisdiction. Professional judges work here, who consider slightly more complex cases than in lower instances. During the process, the question of the legality and justice of the decision made by the justice of the peace can be decided. Because of this, the district court appears as the first and second instance at the same time.
Justices of the peace
There is only one judge in the world court. He considers only the most “easy” cases, and therefore is at the lowest level of the judicial system. Justices of the peace cannot establish sentences of more than 3 years, oblige them to pay particularly large fines and impose other severe forms of sanctions.
In his activity, a judge must follow the norms and rules of conduct established by law. This is the observance of the principles of legality, humanity, professional ethics, the presumption of innocence, etc. A judge has no right to act as a member or agitator of any political party. A ban is introduced on the implementation of deputy or entrepreneurial activity. The justice of the peace must have authority and high moral qualities. In his work, he must be guided by the norms of the law.
Thus, decisions of courts of general jurisdiction cannot be the same. The nature of the sanction applied will depend on the status and set of powers of a particular state authority.
Military courts
Regional supreme, district and world instances are included in the system of courts of general jurisdiction. The decisions of these bodies depend on the amount of legal authority. In addition to regional courts, the system also includes specialized instances. These are military and arbitration courts. In the near future, a specialized court on intellectual property issues will be created in the country.
Military courts are also called naval courts. They are part of the judicial system of the Russian Federation, however, they function in the ranks of the Armed Forces. All military authorities are subordinate to the military collegium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. The duties of such bodies include the consideration of crimes committed by Russian military personnel.
Arbitration courts of general jurisdiction
Judicial bodies dealing exclusively with civil matters are also part of the general jurisdiction system. Arbitration instances are subordinate to the board of the same name of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. The duties of such courts include mainly the consideration of economic cases: business disputes, acquisition of intellectual property rights, financial proceedings, etc.
The arbitration courts are not much different in composition from district courts. There is a chairman, his deputies and the judges themselves. In the courts of first instance (city or district), the case is examined and a subsequent decision is made. The second (appeal) instance checks such decisions for legality and validity. There is a generalization of judicial practice and a retrial.
An alternative to arbitration courts is the system of arbitration courts. However, it is in no way connected with the industry in question, since it is exclusively commercial in nature. Statutory (regional constitutional) courts are also not related to the system of general jurisdiction.