РЕГИОНАЛИЗАЦИЯ, АДАПТАЦИЯ И УКОРЕНЕНИЕ ПОРЕФОРМЕННОЙ ЮСТИЦИИ НА ОКРАИНАХ РОССИЙСКОЙ ИМПЕРИИ

Abstract

The extent to which the 1864 judicial reforms were successful is a topic of ongoing debate, particularly in relation to the Empire’s periphery. Some scholars argue that the reforms were a failure, leading to the dismantling of established local judicial systems, inconsistency with the multicultural context, and alienation of the population from the new justice system. However, there are also arguments in favor of the reforms, focusing on the adaptation of the new justice system to local communities and the stabilization of judicial personnel in the regions. The article explores the processes of regionalization and integration of the new imperial judicial and legal institutions, specifically in the western borderlands and Transcaucasia. The analysis of sources reveals the regional stabilization of the justices of the peace courts personnel, with an increasing number of local natives becoming judges. The study investigates the role of honorary judges in incorporating traditional elites and ensuring representation of ethnic and religious groups. The article also examines the involvement of various intermediaries in the processes of mutual accommodation between the new justice system and local communities. The interaction between post-reform courts and local estate, ethnic and confessional judicial institutions is discussed. The conclusion assesses the dynamics of judicial activity of the population of the peripheries of the empire. It is pointed out that the interaction between local communities and post-reform imperial justice grew significantly.