Russian Judicial System in the Light of Public Policy (“Political Field” versus “Zone of Power”)
The article describes the functioning of the Judiciary as an element of the political system of modern Russia. The characteristics of the activities of the courts are manifested through the mechanism of judicial discretion, within the framework of which decisions on cases are made. There are two main models used to explain the behavior of judges: based on the law and on the basis of personal preference. In Russian conditions, the most adequate way to explain the behavior of judges on the basis of personal preferences is a strategic approach. According to it judges take into account existing institutional and political restrictions and are guided by the structure of political opportunities that is formed by these restrictions. The latter are due to the “Zone of Power”, the real function of which is to project onto the subject, the prescriptions formed by the current political regime, as well as the application of sanctions for their violation. Such a construction of the Russian political space gives the judicial system the place not of a full-fledged branch of power, but, in fact, of one of the executive state institutions that carry out the functions assigned to it within the framework of general policy. Its institutional characteristics are determined by the universal bureaucratic characteristics of the organization of activities and management, characteristic of the executive branch. Being in the “Zone of Power” significantly complicates the promotion of the concept of Public policy, since it levels the possibilities of horizontal cooperation, designed to be implemented by the principle of competition and equality of the parties. The article concluded that the Judicial system of modern Russia, represented by the acting judges, has abandoned the role of the builder of the field of law in the Public political space.