The federal constitutional law is aimed at further developing the judiciary and improving the justice system.
The law defines the formation, composition and competence of general jurisdiction courts, from the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to district courts, and defines the powers of federal court chairpersons and their deputies, the competence of court presidiums and judicial divisions, and the functions of general jurisdiction courts’ administrations.
As regards the organisation of the judiciary, the federal constitutional law provides for the establishment of courts of appeal in order to guarantee the citizen’s constitutional right to have a judicial decision reviewed by a higher court. The federal constitutional law complies with the international standard for judicial review.
The provisions of the federal constitutional law which establish the procedure for appellate review of civil and criminal cases enter into force on January 1, 2012 and January 1, 2013, respectively.