REGIONAL PECULIARITIES OF THE INSTITUTE OF JURORS IMPLEMENTATION ACCORDING TO THE JUDICIAL REFORM OF 1864 (ON THE EXAMPLE OF RIGHT-BANK UKRAINE)

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The aim of the study is to investigate the mechanisms of the implementation of the institute of jurors and their peculiarities on the territory of Right-Bank Ukraine under the judicial reform of 1864. The research methodology is based on the following principles of historical research such as historicism, scientificity, objectivity, and a social approach. This paper applies a historical-comparative (to determine the differences in the judicial reform implementation on the Right-Bank Ukraine) and historical-systemic (to investigate the peculiarities of the process of implementing the institute of jurors) methods to achieve the goal. The scientific novelty lies in clarifying the influence of ethnic and political factors on the implementation of the institute of jurors under the judicial reform of 1864 at the regional level. Conclusions. The judicial reform of 1864 fundamentally changed the old, imperial court system and contributed to the implementation of some European principles. An important innovation was the institute of jurors, which was supposed to ensure the equality of all citizens before the law, independence from local administration, etc. However, the ethnic and political factors shaping the development of Right-Bank Ukraine made adjustments to the pace and methods of implementing the judicial reform. The peculiarities of the institute of jurors’ implementation were primarily dictated by distrust of the Polish and Jewish population. As a result, conditions were created and restrictions were applied, aimed at avoiding the formation of a majority in the court of jurors by representatives of ethnic minorities who were disloyal to the authorities. Thus, in practice, the implementation of the judicial reform was not carried out evenly and in full. One of the main principles of juror election remained inaccessible to the population in the region; the judiciary continued to depend on the local administration, and a significant part of the population of Right-Bank Ukraine was deprived of the right to participate in the justice system as jurors.