The head of state gave corresponding instructions regarding the outcomes of the VII National Congress of Judges, which took place in Moscow on December 2, 2008.
In particular, the changes provide for developing a new draft of the federal laws on judicial administration in the Russian Federation and the implementation of the Constitutional Court’s resolutions on how the government is to regulate the causes of and compensation for harm occurring because of illegal actions or non-action by the courts. The changes affect procedures for appointing judges, assigning them qualification rankings and increasing the number of these rankings with a significant differentiation in salaries.
The changes intend to create a government system for providing free legal assistance to poor citizens all throughout the Russian Federation beginning in 2010; employ alternative measures for applying criminal punishment that do not involve prison sentences; and increase salaries for court administration staff.
The president gave an order that suggestions be made regarding the expediency and possible templates for creating a general jurisdiction for the court of appeals within the court system, and that a new Code of Judicial Ethics be prepared and broadly discussed, so that it may be subsequently rendered for consideration at the VIII National Congress of Judges.