Magistrate courts

Categories / City Administration/Government Bodies
MAGISTRATE COURTS, the lower echelon of the judiciary system introduced in the course of Judiciary reform of 1864 (see also District court). Magistrate courts were in charge of civil and minor criminal cases. The territory of St. Petersburg was divided into magisterial districts, which in their turn were divided into sectors. One district judge and one honorable lay magistrate were elected into each sector by the City Council for 3 years; only people having sufficient property, educational and official qualification could be nominated. The trial was held by a district judge who rendered a sentence alone. The penalties in the magistrate courts were confined to either fines up to 300 roubles or a detention for up to 3 months, or imprisonment for up to 1.5 years. District judges and honorable judges of magisterial districts formed a district convention of lay magistrates (general session), which represented the ultimate cassational instance in magisterial districts. The further proceedings were held in Senate in accordance with the cassational procedure. The chairman of general session was elected out of lay magistrates. The deputy prosecutor of District court and a member sine qua non, appointed by the minister of Justice, attended the sessions. In 1889, Magistrate courts were cancelled (though they still functioned in St. Petersburg for some time), in 1912 they were reestablished and finally abolished after October of 1917.

References: Реформы или революция?: Россия, 1861-1917. СПб., 1992; Чубинский М. П. Судебная реформа // История России в XIX веке: Эпоха реформ. М., 2001. С. 234-271.

Y. N. Kruzhnov. Реформы или революция?: Россия, 1861-1917. СПб., 1992
Чубинский М. П. Судебная реформа // История России в XIX веке: Эпоха реформ. М., 2001 District Court
City Duma
Senate