Abstract: This article analyzes the problems of exercising the right of access to justice for consideration of criminal procedure dispute in the court of cassation. The author examines the legislation of post-Soviet countries in terms of provision the access to justice for consideration of criminal procedure dispute in the court of cassation. The subject of this research is the norms of Russian and foreign legislation that regulate to right of access to justice in criminal proceedings. The object of this research is the legal relations that emerge in implementation of the right of access to justice. It its demonstrated that the restriction on access to justice for consideration of criminal procedure dispute in the court of cassation instance is the time constraint for filing cassation appeal for the convict; and for consideration of interlocutory court decisions – the procedure for assessing cassation appeal without holding a court hearing. The conclusion is substantiated on the need to waive the time constraint for filing cassation appeal for the convict against final court decisions that have entered into force, and for consideration of interim court decisions, the procedure for assessing cassation appeal against the interlocutory court decision should be eliminated without holding a court hearing.

Keywords: cassation appeal, criminal procedural disputes, cassation instance, cassation proceedings, right to appeal, access to court, criminal process, access to justice, limitation of right, securing the right

Abstract: The article contains the study of current legislation of the Russian Federation regulating the legal relations regarding implementation of various means of protection of a constitutional right to access information on activities of the courts: administrative control, prosecutor supervision and judicial mechanism.  The author distinguishes the competences of the chairpersons of Supreme Courts of the Republics, and regional courts, the courts of the cities of federal significance., courts of autonomous regions and districts, and chairmen of the city (district) courts in the sphere of administrative control. The author also provides legal characteristics of use of supervisory competence of the prosecution, and studies the procedural specific features of use of the judicial protection mechanism.  The author provides critical analysis of the existing judicial and supervisory practice, taking the Novosibirsk Regional Court as an example. He also defines the key directions for the improvement of current legislation in the sphere of protection of the right to access information on the activities of the courts in the Russian Federation.

Keywords: court, jurisprudence, access to information, challenging, Constitution, prosecution, law, judge, supervision, protection

Abstract: The author of the article holds Criminal law analysis of the Draft Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation "On Judicial Practice on Cases of Bribery, Commercial Bribery and other Corruption Offences", and based upon the results of his study he provides some critical comments. In particular, criminal responsibility for bribery cannot take place no matter whether acts (failure to act) were premediated by bribe or agreement with an official on provision of bribe for an act.  The author offers to qualify receipt of part of valuables or starting to perform proprietary services as an attempted bribery (commercial bribery) in the amount provided by the intent of a perpetrator.  Receipt of money, stock shares and other property by an official or a manager of a commercial or other organization for taking acts (failure to act) in the sphere of its competence, or which he could have taken using his official position may not be regarded as bribe (commercial bribe) no matter whether he was intending to take these acts (fail to act). The article provides some further critical notes, which are aimed at optimizing the law-enforcement activity.

Keywords: corruption, bribery, commercial bribery, corruption crimes, misappropriation, waste, forgery by an official, extortion, theft, proprietary harm

Abstract: The article deals with the specific features of judicial discretion within the framework of civil law (continental) and common law (Anglo-Saxon) legal systems. The definitions of judicial discretion and of the conditions for its exercise are formulated. The author puts forward the theory of two models of judicial discretion which differ from each other with regard to such matters as 1) functioning of judicial system; 2) hierarchy of sources of law; 3) practice of application of various means of interpretation of the legal rules; 4) development of legal doctrine; 5) adaptation of legal transplants; 6) characteristics of national legal systems.

Keywords: judicial discretion, judicial norm-making, abuse of discretion, discretion model, legal family , legal system, Code, precedent, interpretation of law, constitutional justice

Abstract: In this article author examines legal positions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and constitutional courts of constituent subjects of Russian Federation on territorial organization of local government. Then the author offers some options of their classifications. The author also studies direct and indirect influence of these legal positions on improvement of  legislation on territorial organization of local government and influence on the legislators.

Keywords: territorial organization, municipal self-government, legal positions, legislation, influence, development, constitutional courts, Ustav courts, decisions, resolutions