Evolution of judicial system of the Russian Empire: From estate court to all-estates court

The article researches the connection between estate and judicial systems of the Russian Empire from the birth of estates in times of Peter the Great to their liquidation in 1917 by the decree of the Soviet regime. As a part of fundamental basis of the Empire estate system determined social relations and legal status of the subjects, influenced the form of rule and system of governmental bodies. In the same way estate system with its privileges and restrictions affected the Imperial judicial system. Principle of equality of subjects before law and court proclaimed by Alexander II in Court Statutes of 1864 meant establishment of all-estates court in Russia. But during the judicial reform of 1864 peasant volost' courts were preserved, and in 1889 after the abolition of justice of the peace in the most part of territory of the Empire offices of district captains with administrative and judicial functions for peasants were established. Volost' courts kept working even after the reform of local justice of 1912. The authors emphasize existence of elements of the estate system inside organisation and work of the Russian courts even in the beginning of the XXth c. that disturbed the judicial system. Local courts in Russia were finally not integrated into all-estates court system because of traditional relations existed in the Russian villages for ages. Copyright © 2017 by Academic Publishing House Researcher s.r.o. Copyright © 2017 by Sochi State University