Formation of modern regional judiciary in Russia: a case study of courts of general jurisdiction of Novosibirsk Oblast

Abstract

This study outlines results of the study on regional judiciary conducted in the Novosibirsk Oblast and summarizes analysis on its socio-demographic and professional composition and sources of formation. The study is interdisciplinary in nature; sociological (questionnaires and in-depth interviews) and legal research methods (historical and legal, formal legal, comparative legal) have been applied, 192 judges of courts of general jurisdiction of the Novosibirsk Oblast have been interviewed during the research. The analysis of the outcome of the study shows that a modern regional judge is a young woman who received a full-time legal education at a classical university and has a predominant professional experience in court. The study acknowledges further rejuvenation and feminization of the regional judiciary, due to specifics of personnel policy. The dominant source of replenishment of the regional corps of judges is the court apparatus; this method is most significant for the formation of justices of the peace (JPs) and judges of district courts. The main reasons for the predominance of representatives from the court apparatus in the judiciary corps are the scope of work and requirements for the professional qualities of a judge, among which adaptability to high workloads, significant amount of paperwork, control over procedural deadlines, and effective compliance with the key indicators of the judge’s work form the core. We believe that the trend to form the judiciary mainly through internal sources may negatively affect the authority and status of the judicial profession.