The Russian Court System Overview The judicial system of the Russian Federation is made up of several types of courts:

the Constitutional Court, civil courts (or courts of general jurisdiction), arbitrazh courts, justices of the peace, and military tribunals. The principal law governing the fundamental principles of the Russian court system is the 1996 Federal Constitutional Law "On the Judicial System of the Russian Federation." Parties may also agree to submit their commercial disputes to arbitration tribunals. Under Russian law, foreign individuals and legal entities have the same rights to sue and be sued in Russian courts as Russian individuals and companies. 9899% of all civil and criminal cases are judged by general courts at the lowest levels, called peoples (district and city) courts. They also judge administrative offenses, complaints about unlawfulness and unfounded arrests and implement courts decisions concerning property confiscation etc. There are 2,454 public (district or city) courts in Russia with 13,000 judges. 85 courts of the RF (region, krai, and republic) with a staff of 2,800 judges constitute the next link of general courts. They judge the most difficult cases, taken on at their own initiative, cases where death sentences may be given. They also regulate the lawfulness and validity of sentences and other public court decisions which did not come into force. The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation commenced its activities in December 1991 and is the first judicial body of constitutional review in the history of Russia. The Constitutional Court operates by virtue of the Russian Constitution and the 1994 Federal Constitutional Law On the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. Generally, the legal status of the Constitutional Court is characterized by a number of peculiarities. It stands apart from the other courts and does not fulfill the same functions as a court of cassation, court of appeal, or court of review in relation to the civil courts. Rather, it reviews cases that concern the constitutionality of laws, interprets the Russian Constitution, and verifies the legality of presidential impeachment proceedings. Russian citizens has the opportunity to seek protection of their constitutional rights and freedoms in the European Court of Human Rights, as well. Arbitrazh Courts Arbitrazh courts are specialized courts for settling property and commercial disputes between companies and individual entrepreneurs, both Russian and foreign. Arbitrazh courts are structured as a three-tier system. The activity of arbitrazh courts is currently regulated by the 1995 Federal Constitutional Law "On Arbitrazh Courts in the Russian Federation" and the 2002 Arbitrazh Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. Civil Courts The jurisdiction of civil courts include, among others: (i) all criminal cases; (ii) appeals of administrative and other state actions that do not fall within the jurisdiction of other courts; (iii) labor and employment disputes; (iv) family, inheritance issues, consumer protection, and certain others. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is the supreme judicial body for civil, criminal, administrative, and other cases under the jurisdiction of civil courts. For certain category of cases it acts as a court of first instance (generally those which are considered to be of special importance or special public interest). The Supreme Court also supervises the legality, validity, and substantiality of rulings of lower courts (including military courts) and provides clarifications of law on the issues of court proceedings.