The Verkhovna Rada Should Establish Courts of Limited Jurisdiction with Both Civil and Criminal Jurisdiction as Part of Ukrainian Judicial Reform

This article offers suggestions to the Ukraine Parliament on how to create an effective small claims court that addresses misdemeanor criminal cases, preliminary hearings and limited damages civil jurisdiction. The paper is one of nine papers presented by American judges offering prototype blueprints for the three basic levels of courts in Ukraine. Three judges addressed appeals, three judges addressed general jurisdiction courts, and this paper was one of the three papers addressing limited jurisdiction courts. The papers were written at the request of the National Judicial College and USAid.gov to guide Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen their judiciary. The author is a Tennessee municipal judge and a Native American appellate jurist