Subjects:

Other Jurisdictions , Russian Federation

Contents:

Acknowledgments

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

The 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.