Vocabulary tasks

A Match the following legal terms with their Russian equivalents.

1	judicial body	a	гражданское дело
2	claim	b	юридическое лицо
3	judicial branch	c	надзор
4	civil case	d	судебный орган
5	supervision	e	законодательная власть
6	legal entity	f	судебная власть
7	legislative branch	g	жалоба
8	complaint	h	иск

B Use an appropriate word or phrase from the box to complete each sentence.

legal entities claim criminal cases

courts of general jurisdiction lawsuit

Constitutional Court supervises

1 A ______ on property dispute is considered at the location of the defendant.

2 The case was filed by ______ engaged in business activity

3 The ______ of the Russian Federation tried the case on compliance with the Constitution norms.

4 Cases and claims arising from civil, family and labour relations are considered in______.

5 The court of the general jurisdiction refuses to accept and consider the ______ if it does not refer to the court’s competence.

6 The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation acts as a court of first instance with respect to ______ of extra complexity.

7 The general Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ______ all courts of the jurisdiction.

Text c The Courts of the Subjects of the Russian Federation

There are 84 subjects of the Russian Federation. So, the territory of the Russian Federation is divided into 84 circuits.

Supreme Courts of the republics of the Russian Federation, other regional courts, city courts of cities of Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, courts of autonomous districts and regions may act as courts of first instance when considering specific categories of cases particularly important for the society. In general case they are deemed to be courts of second instance (courts of appeal), i.e. they shall consider appeals and check the compliance with law and the validity of decisions and other court rulings not enacted yet.

The courts of the criminal jurisdiction try persons charged with more severe offences. The accused is tried by the judge of the court with two assessors or jury.

The Municipal Court

According to the established rule the municipal courts are courts of the first instance with respect to the majority of cases, both criminal and civil, being considered. In the Russian Federation there are several hundred court areas. In Moscow there are 31 municipal court areas. The Municipal Courts are presided over by the President of the Municipal Court. The Municipal Court has very wide jurisdiction under the Civil Procedural Code. It deals with all actions where a party is an individual (excluding the cases directly provided for by the Arbitrazh Procedural Code), based in tort, contract law and other issues. The Municipal Judge can hear the case alone, if both the claimant and the defendant agree to it. There are certain cases where the Municipal Judge must hear the case with two assessors.

Appealing the Decision of the Municipal Court

The decision of the Municipal Judge can be appealed to the correspondent court of the subject of the Russian Federation. The jurisdiction of the Circuit Court when hearing an appeal from the Municipal Court is not the same as in an original Municipal Court action, but in the interest of judgement the appellate court may control the decision of the court of the first instance in full volume.

The Specialized Military Courts

The Specialized Military Courts jurisdiction is similar to the jurisdiction of the Municipal Courts and other courts of general jurisdiction correspondently. The particularities in the jurisdiction of the Specialized Military Courts are that one party to the case must be actual or former military person. On the matters not concerning military service a military person can apply on his discretion to the Specialized Military Court or to the Municipal Court. The decision of the Specialized Military Judge can be appealed to the Military Colleague of the correspondent court of the subject of the Russian Federation.