Description
Book SynopsisThe Constitution of the Russian Federation was ratified in 1993 amid great hopes and aspirations following the collapse of the USSR. The constitution proclaims the goal of establishing a “democratic, federal state” that functions according to rule of law and promises a broad array of social, political and economic rights to its citizens. But how well has the Russian government lived up to realizing these promises? Seven distinguished scholars on Russian politics and law examine the state of political accountability, federal power-sharing, judicial independence, press freedom, and criminal procedure in Russia today. The picture that emerges is decidedly mixed; they conclude that the Russian constitution remains a work in progress.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface William B. Simons Introduction: The Promise of the Russian Constitution Gordon B. Smith Chief Justices of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation: 1990 to the Present Part I: Constitutional Promise and Political Realities Chapter 1: Constitutionalism and Accountability in Contemporary Russia: The Problem of Displaced Sovereignty Richard Sakwa Chapter 2: The Russian Constitutional Court’s Long Struggle for Viable Federalism Robert Sharlet Chapter 3: Russia’s Constitutional Spirit: Judge-Made Principles in Theory and Practice Alexei Trochev Part II: Constitutional Practice and Legal Obstacles Chapter 4: Press Freedom in Russia: Does the Constitution Matter? Peter Krug Chapter 5: The Procuracy: Constitutional Questions Deferred Gordon B. Smith Chapter 6: Modern Russian Criminal Procedure: The Adversarial Principle and Guilty Plea Stanislaw Pomorski Chapter 7: Jury Trial and Adversary Procedure in Russia: Reform of Soviet Inquisitorial procedure or Democratic Window-Dressing? Stephen C. Thaman Chapter 8: Russia’s Constitutional Project and Prospects for the Future Gordon B. Smith About the Authors List of Russian-Language Abbreviations Index
