MOOT COURT
AND MEDIATION COMPETITION
ON RELEVANT PROBLEMS
OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

Russian State University
of Justice

Supreme Court of the Russian Federation

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is the supreme judicial body for civil, criminal, administrative cases, economic disputes and other cases. It performs judicial supervision and clarifies different issues of judicial practice.

As a court of first instance, the SCRF considers administrative cases on challenge of normative or non-normative acts or actions of the President of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and of other top public authorities. It also resolves economic disputes between federal public authorities and public authorities of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, between supreme public authorities of constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

As a court of second (appellate) instance, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation reviews the lawfulness and validity of decisions of supreme courts of constituent entities of the Russian Federation that have not yet entered into force, in administrative, civil and criminal cases. It also reviews the decisions of circuit (fleet) military courts, adopted by them as courts of first instance, in cases of the military. Herewith, the SCRF reviews its own first-instance decisions as a court of appellate instance.

As a court of third (cassational) instance, the SCRF reviews the rulings of presidiums of supreme courts of constituent entities of the Russian Federation and of presidiums of circuit (fleet) military courts, adopted by them as courts of appeal.

Finally, as a court of supervision, the SCRF may reverse or amend effective judicial acts, including its own, if it is found that the aforementioned acts violate the human and citizen’s rights and freedoms, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the universal principles and norms of international law and the international treaties of the Russian Federation, violate the rights and lawful interests of the general public or other public interests or violate the uniform interpretation and application of law norms.

The role of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation as the supreme judicial body is reflected in its ability to give clarifications on issues of judicial practice in order to guarantee the uniform interpretation and application of legal norms by the courts. Based on the analysis and summarization of judicial practice, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation elaborates and introduces draft laws to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation may also decide issues of international treaties of the Russian Federation within the framework of its competence.

The Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is the top judicial instance in Russia. The Presidium is composed of the Chief Justice of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chief Justices and a number of judges of the SCRF, appointed to the Presidium of the court by the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on proposal of the President of the Russian Federation, based on proposal of the Chief Justice of the SCRF.

As a court of supervisory instance, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation verifies the effective judicial acts of lower courts and decides upon certain issues of judicial practice.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is appointed for a six-year term by the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on proposal of the President of the Russian Federation, if there is a positive conclusion of the High Qualification Board of Judges of the Russian Federation.