Judiciary of Russia

Under the Constitution, the Judiciary of Russia has judicial appeal and judicial review at the level of the Supreme Court of Russia. The twenty-three-member Supreme Court is Russia's highest court of origination and of appeals for consideration of criminal, civil, and administrative cases. The Supreme Court of Arbitration of Russia, which is headed by a board of one chairman and four deputy chairmen, is the highest court for the resolution of economic disputes. Courts of arbitration also exist at lower jurisdictional levels. The nineteen-member Constitutional Court has the power of judicial review and decides whether federal laws, presidential decrees and directives, and local constitutions, charters, and laws comply with the federal constitution. Treaties between the national government and a regional jurisdiction and between regional jurisdictions are subject to the same oversight. The Constitutional Court also resolves jurisdictional disputes between federal or local organs of power, and it also may be asked to interpret the federal constitution.

Under the constitution, judges of the three highest courts serve for life and are appointed by the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament after nomination by the president. The president appoints judges at the next level, the federal district courts. The Russian Minister of Justice is responsible for appointing judges to regional and city courts. However, in practice many appointments below the national level still are made by the chief executives of subnational jurisdictions.