District Court

Categories / City Administration/Government Bodies
DISTRICT COURT, a judiciary body, established in the course of the Judiciary reform of 1864. Consisted of a chairman, his deputy and members of the court (appointed by the minister of Justice). The jurisdiction of the District Court was applied to St. Petersburg judicial district. The principal innovation of District courts was the introduction of jurymen and advocacy institutions. The staff of the court included a public prosecutor who directed the judicial scrutiny, appeared for the prosecution before the court, and saw to the execution of the sentence. The staff of jurymen of District court was composed of the representatives of all estates, their residential and property qualification taken into account. The sentence was delivered on the basis of their verdict. District Court was in charge of civil and criminal cases outside the competence of magistrate courts. The ultimate appeals instance for cases considered in District court was St. Petersburg Chamber of appeals which consisted of criminal and civil divisions. The advocacy institute of the District Court and Chamber of appeals included staff lawyers (attorneys at law) and lawyers extraordinary to court and non-registered in the bar (chamber counsel). District Court was located in the house of former Old Arsenal (situated at the site of the house No. 4 on Liteiny Avenue). The building was connected with the House of detention with a special passage. It was the place where major trials of the populist movement participants were held in the 1870s, in 1878 the trial of V.I. Zasulich took place here (resulting in the acquittal of the latter). In 1881 this building housed legal proceedings over the accomplices of the attempt at life of emperor Alexander II, in 1887, the similar trial over accomplices of the attempt at life of emperor Alexander III. During February Revolution of 1917, the building of the District court was burned down by the rebels. In 1931-32 an administrative building was built on its site, commonly known among St. Petersburgers as the "Big House".

Y. N. Kruzhnov. Alexander II, Emperor
Alexander III, Emperor
Zasulich Vera Ivanovna
Liteiny Ave/Saint Petersburg, city, house 4
Ерошкин Н. П. История государственных учреждений дореволюционной России. 3-е изд., перераб. и доп. М., 1983 Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice
House of Preliminary Detention, prison
February Revolution of 1917
Bolshoy Dom