People's court (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
People's court in the late Soviet Union
is a court of first instance
which handled the majority of civil and criminal offenses, as well as certain administrative law
offenses.
The people's court handled cases by a collegium consisted of a people's judge and two people's assessors. The people's assessors had duties similar to jurors, but decided both any objections and the verdict along with the judge, unlike in most jury systems. Although they were supposed to "assess" the impartiality and rightness of the judge's decisions, the people's assessors were Party members as well, usually agreeing with everything judges did.
In early Soviet Russia
and Soviet Union the term "people's court" was used in reference to any court in the new Soviet legal system which replaced the legal syslem of the Russian Empire
. At these times there were several levels of courts, accorting to the administrative division of the country: local, okrug
, and oblast
people's courts.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
is a court of first instance
Court of first instance
A court of first instance is a trial court of original or primary jurisdiction.Specific courts called the Court of First Instance include:* European Court of First Instance, of the European Union* Court of First Instance...
which handled the majority of civil and criminal offenses, as well as certain administrative law
Administrative law
Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law...
offenses.
The people's court handled cases by a collegium consisted of a people's judge and two people's assessors. The people's assessors had duties similar to jurors, but decided both any objections and the verdict along with the judge, unlike in most jury systems. Although they were supposed to "assess" the impartiality and rightness of the judge's decisions, the people's assessors were Party members as well, usually agreeing with everything judges did.
In early Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
and Soviet Union the term "people's court" was used in reference to any court in the new Soviet legal system which replaced the legal syslem of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. At these times there were several levels of courts, accorting to the administrative division of the country: local, okrug
Okrug
Okrug is an administrative division of some Slavic states. The word "okrug" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "district", or "region"....
, and oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
people's courts.
See also
- Procurator General of the USSR
- Supreme Court of the USSRSupreme Court of the USSRThe Supreme Court of the USSR was the supreme court of the Soviet Union during its existence. The Supreme Court of the USSR included the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR and other elements which were not typical of Supreme Courts found in other countries, then or now.-See also:*...
- Ministry of Justice of the USSRMinistry of Justice (Soviet Union)The Ministry of Justice of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , formed on 15 March 1946, was one of the most important government offices in the Soviet Union. It was formerly known as the People's Commissariat for Justice...