Крайові суди у Галичині (1850-1918): історико-правові аспекти

Abstract

In the monograph, on the basis of the analysis of legal acts in force on the territory of Galicia during the research period, scientific literature, archival documents and other written sources, the legal foundations of the organization and activity of regional courts in Galicia as part of Austria and Austria-Hungary (1850–1918) are comprehensively researched. The monograph provides a theoretical generalization of the historical experience of the organization and activity of regional courts in Galicia as part of Austria and Austria-Hungary (1850–1918). The study of this important scientific problem provided an opportunity to substantiate the author`s conceptual vision of the main development trend in Galicia at the end of the 18th - mid-19th centuries. Austrian judiciary and European legal traditions. It was at the end of the 18th century in the course of the implementation of the Austrian policy of enlightened absolutism, the court was formed as an important state-legal institution, which is characteristic of the Romano-Germanic legal family. The court, as the main judicial body, became an objectively necessary component of the mechanism of protection and protection of human rights and interests in the period under study. It is emphasized that at the end of the 18th – the middle of the 19th centuries. under the influence of political and socio-economic transformations, the Austrian legal system and judiciary underwent fundamental changes in the direction of centralization, systematization, liberalization of the judicial process and gradual separation of the court the administration. These changes were aimed at creating an effective mechanism of the absolutist state. The implemented changes were based on enlightened concepts of natural law, philosophical and legal ideas of justice and public benefit. For Halychyna, this also meant the rejection of the remnants of the Middle Ages, in particular, the dominion and state principle of the judiciary. It was found out that the creation of regional courts in Galicia was the result of political changes and the reform of the judicial system of the Austrian Empire as a result of the revolution of 1848–1849. The foundations of the new Austrian judicial system, which operated with minor changes until the end of the First World War, were laid in the imperial «Regulations on courts» in 1849. It was then that a unified three-level organization of the judicial system was implemented: district single-person, regional (district) collegial and higher regional courts. In addition, the adoption of the Austrian Constitution in 1867 with the subsequent separation of the judiciary the administration and the introduction of jury trials in regional courts in 1873 can be considered milestones in the history of the judiciary in the Habsburg Empire, which significantly democratized the Austrian legal system. It was specified that in the mid-1850s, nine regional courts were established on the territory of Galicia and Bukovyna. Regional courts in Halychyna began hearing cases on the merits on September 29, 1855. As a result of the changes of 1853–1855, the name «regional» remained only for the courts in Lviv and Krakow; others came to be called «district», but given their subject competence, they were identified. In connection with the intensive development, first of all, of socio-economic relations in Galicia, especially after the revolution and abolition of serfdom, trade, civil circulation became more active, many civil-law contracts were concluded, etc. However, civil and other disputes arose at the same time, which made it necessary to create additional regional courts in the Crown Region of Galicia and Volodymyr. Until the beginning of the 20th century. the number of regional courts in Galicia increased to 19: 12 for Eastern Galicia and Bukovyna and 7 for Western Galicia. 303 It was established that regional (district) courts acted as courts of second instance for appeals against decisions of district courts and courts of first instance in a specified district when considering criminal and civil cases, the value of the subject matter of which was more than 1,000 crowns. Regional courts in Galicia, as courts of first instance, considered: civil cases - family disputes, guardianship cases, cases of renewal of rights, adoption, inheritance according to wills; criminal cases - cases of violation of state laws, anti-government activities, organization of illegal associations, murder, robbery, arson, cases of insulting the honor and dignity of the emperor or his family. Disputes of a mining, trade and promissory note nature, regardless of the price of the subject of the dispute, were considered by special senates of only a few regional (district) courts in Galicia. In the proceedings of regional courts in Galicia, civil cases related to property and land disputes prevailed, and among criminal cases – cases of political crimes, theft, forgery of money and documents, causing bodily harm. It is shown that regional courts in Galicia acted as collegial judicial bodies and tried civil cases with three judges, and criminal cases with four judges. The judge of the regional court could be a person with a legal education who passed the relevant professional exams. Regional (district) courts consisted of presidents, vice-presidents (or vice-presidents), judges, assistants, adjuncts. Judges of Polish nationality absolutely prevailed in the management of regional courts in Galicia. Offices functioned as an auxiliary body at the regional courts, whose staff included the director, senior head of the office, clerks, executive officials, assistants, and officials. Regional courts were divided into civil and criminal senates (departments), internal district courts, and an industrial court. The regional courts were also responsible for the regional tabula, the senate for commercial affairs, the court office for keeping records, the department of civil-judicial deposits, the management of prisons, and the sanitary and medical service. It was found that the activity of the regional courts in Galicia was aimed at ensuring law and order and compliance with the law. Evidence of this was the control over the functioning of prisons in the district of their responsibility, the existence of state prosecutor`s offices, bar chambers, and notaries at regional courts. It has been investigated that regional courts in Galicia were entrusted with the function of control, and in fact, internal control over the activities of the court itself and the institutions operating under it (Bar Chamber, Notary Chamber). An important element of control was supervision over the state of detention of prisoners in the district of responsibility of the court. In the case of Eastern Galicia, these are Lviv and one Stanislaviv prison. The controlling function was directly related to the disciplinary activity of regional courts. Another important function of regional courts in Galicia was appellate review for courts of first instance in civil cases (for criminal cases, such a body was the Higher Regional Court in Lviv). It was revealed that during the activity of regional courts in Galicia (1850-1918) there was a tendency to limit the principle of independence of judges, which was enshrined in Austrian legislation. This was manifested, in particular, during the formation of the judicial corps of regional courts in Galicia, an important criterion of which was political benevolence, the appointment and transfer of judges to another place of work (or retirement), the so-called purges of judicial personnel. It was established that judges of Ukrainian origin were not admitted to the leadership of regional courts in Galicia. The rights of Ukrainians to defend their rights in their native language during court proceedings were violated.

Здійснено історико-правове дослідження правових основ організації і діяльності крайових судів у Галичині в складі Австрії та Австро-Угорщини (1850–1918 рр.). Показано, що створення крайових судів у Галичині стало результатом політичних змін та реформування судової системи Австрійської імперії внаслідок революції 1848–1849 рр. Конкретизовано, що у середині 1850-х років на території Галичини і Буковини було створено дев`ять крайових судів. Діяльність з розгляду справ по суті крайові суди у Галичині розпочали з 29 вересня 1855 р. Встановлено, що крайові (окружні) суди відіграли роль судів другої інстанції для апеляцій на рішення повітових судів та судів першої інстанції у визначеному окрузі – при розгляді кримінальних та цивільних справ, вартість предмета спору яких складала понад 1 тис. крон. Крайові суди в Галичині як суди першої інстанції розглядали: цивільні справи – сімейні спори, опікунські справи, справи про поновлення у правах, усиновлення, успадкування згідно із заповітами; кримінальні справи – справи про порушення державних законів, антиурядову діяльність, організацію нелегальних товариств, вбивства, грабежі, підпали, випадки образи честі й гідності імператора або ж його родини. Спори гірничого, торговельного і вексельного характеру, незалежно від ціни предмета спору, розглядали спеціальні сенати лише декількох крайових (окружних) судів у Галичині. Для науковців, викладачів, аспірантів, студентів, юристів-практиків, широкого загалу читачів.