Politics of The Soviet Union - Judicial Branch

Judicial Branch

The Supreme Court was the highest judicial body in the country; it supervised the administration of justice by the courts of the USSR and its Soviet Republics within the limits of established law. The leadership of the Supreme Court was elected by the Supreme Soviet; the exceptions were the Chairmen of the Supreme Courts of the Soviet Republics, who were ex officio members. The organisation and the procedures of the Supreme Court were defined by law. As written in Article 157 of the Brezhnev constitution, "Justice is administered in the USSR on the principle of the equality of citizens before the law and the court." In the following articles it was made clear that all individuals (no matter their circumstances) had the right to legal assistance. All judicial proceedings in the USSR were conducted in the language of the Soviet Republic, "Autonomous Republic, Autonomous Region, or Autonomous Area, or in the language spoken by the majority of the people in the locality". People who participated in court proceedings without knowledge of the language had the right to become fully acquainted with the materials in the case, the right to an interpreter during the proceedings and the right to address the court in their own language.

The Procurator General was (according to Article 165) appointed to the office by the Supreme Soviet. The Procurator was responsible and accountable to the Supreme Soviet or, between sessions of the Supreme Soviet, to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. The Procurator General supervised most activities of Soviet agencies such as ministries, state committees and local Prosecutor Generals. Subordinate agencies of the Procurator General exercised their functions independent from meddling by the Soviet state, and were subordinate only to the Prosecutor's office. The organisation and procedures of these subordinates were defined in the Law on the Procurator's Office of the USSR.