Reforms in legislation governing judicial organization in the Soviet Union and in present-day Russia: The new law “On the Status of Judges in the Russian Federation”

Much scholarly work has been done in the area of Soviet-era law and legal procedure, and this paper attempts to make a continuing contribution to that effort in the new era of the Russian Federation. Drawing upon first-hand experience in the Kuibyshevskii court, this paper will attempt to shed some light on the recent reorganization of the judiciary in Russia by revealing and analyzing very recent changes in the new law concerning the status of judges in Russia. Along the way some speculations on the initial and continuing impact of these reforms on Russian criminal justice will be offered as well