All news

Duma to discuss bill on Russia’s unified Supreme Court

The lower house of Russia's parliament will consider three amendments to the Constitution that will allow creating a unified Supreme Court

MOSCOW, December 11. /ITAR-TASS/. The State Duma lower house of Russia’s parliament will consider in the first reading on Wednesday the presidential package of three bills amending the Russian Constitution with the aim of creating Russia’s unified Supreme Court.

The MPs will consider the bills “On the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation,” “On the Order of Selection of Candidates to the Initial RF Supreme Court Panel” and on amendments to the constitutional law “On Judicial System of the RF”.

Head of the house committee on constitutional legislation Vladimir Pligin stressed that these bills “resolve a number of organizational issues related to the formation of the Supreme Court, including its staff.”

According to the bill “On Supreme Court of the RF”, the unified court will be located in St. Petersburg. “The bill says that the president sets the date for the beginning of the Supreme Court operation in St. Petersburg on agreement with the RF Supreme Court, and before this date, the Supreme Court performs its functions in Moscow.”

According to the bill, Russia’s unified Supreme Court will consist of 170 judges. Initially, they will be selected by a special qualification board, comprising 27 representatives of the president, Public Chamber, and national private associations of lawyers. “Judges and Russian citizens who are not judges, who have reached the aged of 35 and who have a work record in the sphere of law at least 10 years are admitted to the competition to fill the vacancies,” the bill says.