Disobedience in the Courtroom: Iliad 18.497–508

This article aims to combine a literary and a detailed linguistic approach to the “trial scene” in the Shield of Achilles. Legal historians attempt to reconstruct a judicial system, encountering textual issues and incompatibilities. Ekphrasis is rarely mentioned, and writings on ekphrasis rarely treat the trial scene in detail when discussing the Shield. A close reading, underpinned by the theory of ekphrasis, is able to address these difficulties. This passage describes a series of alternative dispute solutions, rather than a coherent judicial process. This presentation argues that this makes the passage central to the poetics of the Shield, not an outlier.

The judicial system at the stage of the formation of the Soviet state as the most important element of the state legal system: the activities of the revolutionary tribunals

This article examines the main historical, ideological, social and other factors that determined the emergence of the judicial system of the Soviet state (RSFSR) during its formation in 1917-1922, as well as the main patterns of its further development, features of legal regulation of the activities of courts and extraordinary judicial bodies, as well as the views of Soviet jurists on the essence and importance of courts in building socialism in the early stages of its development.

A Systematic Review of Specialty Courts in the United States for Adolescents Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Nationwide efforts to enhance services for adolescents experiencing commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in the judicial system have led to the emergence of specialty courts, including human trafficking and girls’ courts. Given that prior research has documented competing stances on the effectiveness of specialty courts for CSE-impacted populations, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify key characteristics of programming, profiles of adolescents served, and effectiveness of these courts. To identify relevant research and information, we systematically searched scholarly databases and information sources, conducted reference harvesting, and forwarded citation chaining. Articles presenting primary data with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies or programmatic descriptions of specialty courts serving adolescents at risk or with confirmed histories of CSE that were published after 2004 were included. We identified 39 articles on 21 specialty courts serving adolescents at risk or with confirmed histories of CSE, including seven specialty courts with evaluation or outcome data. Across specialty courts, adolescents benefited from an increase in linkage to specialized services, improved residential placement stability, and reduction in recidivism—measured by new criminal charges. Specialty court participation was also associated with improved educational outcomes and decreased instances of running away. A lack of empirical data, specifically of evaluation studies, emerged as a weakness in the literature. Still, findings support that specialty courts can be an integral judicial system response to CSE. Multidisciplinary collaboration can help target and respond to the multifaceted needs of adolescents, encourage healthy behaviors, and promote their overall wellness.

The Effects of Constitutional Changes on the Judiciary System in Albania: The Process of Vetting

The adoption of laws in Albania is often achieved through consensus among legislators, declaring it as the best solution for a certain political or legal situation, which resulted ineffective in many cases. The focus of law improvements was concentrated on control/Vetting, that is, the exclusion from the judicial system of individuals who do not meet one of the three constitutional criteria (wealth, moral integrity, and professionalism). Vetting, control per se, is not a reform of justice, but only one of its constitutive phases. The Albanian Constitution changes aim to restructure the justice institutions to achieve the standards requested for the Albanian EU integration. The paper goes through the different constitutional reforms, focusing on the judicial system changes especially on the recent results of the vetting process in Albania. The questions like: How is the Vetting process affecting judicial standards, how are the new Albanian justice institutions reacting, what is the public opinion on this progress and the benefits of society, are essential to understand how this process was conducted in Albania, its problems and difficulties. The results are explained through underlining different studies, media interventions, and recent political and public statements of involved institutions. Received: 19 August 2021 / Accepted: 1 November 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022

Sądy społeczne w systemie wymiaru sprawiedliwości Niemieckiej Republiki Demokratycznej

Social courts in the German Democratic Republic, as constitutional judicial organs, guaranteed the direct participation of citizens in the exercise of state power. They played an important role in the judicial system and in fact became the courts of the lowest instance. They settled disputes in the field of labour and civil law and adjudicated in cases of violations of criminal law. In retrospect, they can be assessed as a special type of court typical of the socialist system, the decisions of which were primarily of educational and preventive importance.

JUDICIAL REFORM OF THE LATE 20TH – EARLY 21ST CENTURIES IN RUSSIA

The author analyzes the reform of the Russian legislation regulating the activity of courts for consideration of civil cases, the reform, which began in the 1990s and continues to this day. Highlights the main stages of the reform related to the adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation 1993, changes in the judicial system, with the adoption of the Commercial Procedure Code of the Russian Federation in 1992, 1995, 2002, with a major change of Civil Procedure Code of the RSFSR 1964 and the entry into force of the current Civil Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, 2002. In addition, the author calls the current trends in the development of procedural legislation, including reforms made by Federal Law of 28 November 2018 No. 451-FZ.

On the People’s Nature of Judicature from the Way of Ma Xiwu’s Trial Mode

As the product of the judicial work under the leadership of the Party during the Chinese revolution, the Ma Xiwu’s Trial Mode is a creative contribution of the Chinese Communists to the judicial work, bearing the spiritual core of the red judicial culture of the People’s Republic of China, focusing on investigation and research, facilitating the mass litigation and solving disputes on the spot. Under the background of socialism with Chinese characteristics stepping into a new era, people’s judicature is the essential feature of socialist judicial system with Chinese characteristics. The core connotation of people’s judicature is reflected in Ma Xiwu’s judicial stand of people-centered, judicial idea of justice as the core, working principle of insisting on the dialectical unity of people’s nature and impartiality of judicature and evaluation standard of reflecting public opinion.

The transformation of the judicial system in Kyrgyzstan an after 1991. Aspects of the development of administrative justice

This article examines the transformation of the judiciary in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan after 1991, as well as aspects of the development of administrative justice in this state. The article presents the main stages of the development of the judicial system of the Kyrgyz Republic: 1993-2002, 2003-2009, 2010-2020. The device of the judicial system of the republic is described, the system of courts of general jurisdiction, inter-district economic courts, the judicial bids of the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan, as well as the courts of the second instance, and in addition to the elimination of the system of arbitration courts in the Republic and Military Courts (2003), disbanding the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan (2010), the creation of the Constitutional Chamber in the Supreme Court of the Republic. The article provides aspects of the development of administrative justice.

Procedural Issues and Improvement of Judicial Review in Criminal Proceedings

The article addresses the issues of the modern development of judicial forms in relation to appellate proceedings in criminal proceedings in a systematic manner and in connection with the development and formation of cassation proceedings, as well as the exceptional procedures for review – judicial supervision and consideration of cases in newly discovered circumstances. This approach has not yet been developed and in terms of the systemic approach has some ambiguities and imperfections. At the same time, this use of almost all the main forms of judicial review takes place in Russia for the first time and needs in-depth analysis. In turn, the appellate procedure for judicial activity in the criminal process has reached a new level, it has significantly expanded and strengthened. A special judicial unit has been established in the judicial system, five appellate courts, which, in the light of the improvement of the procedural procedure for reviewing an appeal, significantly changes its position in the criminal justice system, due, in particular, to the properties of freedom of appeal and appellate validity of decisions and actions.

Some Remarks on Legal Education in Bulgaria

This paper aims to provide in-depth analysis of legal education in Bulgaria since it is of paramount significance for the creation of well-trained lawyers for the state, local authorities, as well as the judicial system. The historical method was used to examine the system of the Bulgarian legal education that has been developing for about 130 years and has gone through numerous difficulties.The comparative and juxtaposition approach were utilsed in the research to help in making inferences about the present situation regarding legal education in Bulgaria. Now there are nine law schools that deepen international co-operation and adapt their curricula to respond to the changes in national and European legislation.It takes five years to receive a legal education in Bulgaria and the process ends with a Master’s degree in Law (LLM). There is no Bachelor degree in Law (LLB in other European countries) in our country.All in all, the main objective of this article is to look at the Bulgarian legal education in the past and nowadays. The paper attempts to show that legal education in Bulgaria is faced with diverse challenges of the new millennium. The process of globalization as well as the recent situation with COVID-19 make it necessary to add information technologies and distant learning forms to legal education.