The State Duma adopted in the first reading amendments to the Constitution on the unification of the courts

The State Duma adopted in the first reading the presidential bill on amendments to the Constitution on the unification of the Supreme and Supreme Arbitration Courts, RIA Novosti reports. The amendments also determine the procedure for the appointment of deputies of the Prosecutor General and prosecutors of the regions. It is expected that the second reading of the document may take place on November 20.

Earlier, amendments were made to the Constitution only in connection with a change in the names of the regions or with their merger.

On October 7, President Vladimir Putin submitted a bill on the unification of courts to the State Duma . The project provides for the abolition of you within six months from the date of the corresponding amendments to the Constitution and the transfer of its authority to the jurisdiction of the newly created Supreme Court.

For the first time, Putin spoke out for the unification of the courts in June , speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. According to Putin, the association of courts will provide uniform approaches to resolving disputes.

The Supreme Court is now the highest instance in criminal, civil and administrative cases. The highest arbitration court is the highest instance for the resolution of economic disputes. Now both structures are located in Moscow, but the authorities plan to relocate them to St. Petersburg, where the Constitutional Court has already been taken out.

On October 22, the Higher Qualification Collegium of Judges terminated the powers of the seven judges of the Supreme Arbitration Court , which resigned after the bill on its unification with the Supreme Court, reports RAPSI.

In accordance with the decision of the board, the powers of one judge cease from November 11, five more judges will officially resign in December of this year, and the latter in January of the following. None of them at the consideration of applications were present. The board noted that two more judges were submitted about resignation, but then they changed their minds.

According to the agency, all the judges resigned have sufficient experience to obtain lifelong content, which is 80 percent of the usual official salary.

Earlier, Deputy Head of the Supreme Arbitration Court, Tatyana Andreeva, confirmed that the resignations of judges are associated with the reform of the judicial system planned by the authorities . At the same time, in her opinion, the essence of the reform is more reminiscent of the elimination of the highest arbitration than just its unification with another court.