On September, 6-13 2009, Russian experts on judicial ethics visited Chicago, IL and Boston, MA in the USA . The visit was organized within the partnership between the Supreme Arbitration (Commercial) Court of the Russian Federation (SAC) and the U.S. Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law. Tatiana Andreeva, deputy Chief Justice of SAC, headed the delegation. The delegation also included chief judge of the 17th Appellate Commercial Court Viktor Tsodikovich, chief judge of Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast Commercial Court Boris Balandin, Roman Bevzenko (head of Legislation Department, SAC), Inessa Lapshina (assistant to Justice Andreeva), Vyacheslav Zvegintsev (head of Analytics Unit, SAC), Ekaterina Kudelich (head of International Law and Cooperation Department, SAC).
The goal of the visit was to share opinions on judicial ethics regulations in Russia and in the USA, how American experience in that field can be used in developing a new ethics code for Russian judges, and how to improve disciplinary process for judges who violate ethics norms.
In Chicago Russian and American experts discussed mechanisms of conduct regulation, used by the federal and state of Illinois judiciary (codes, conduct committees, sanctions etc.), operation Greylord (one of the largest undercover operations against corrupted judges in Illinois). Experts also discussed selection and removal procedures for judges in Russia and in the US. The delegation met with District Judge Michael M. Mihm of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, District Judge Gordon J. Quist of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, District Judge George M. Marovich of the Northern District of Illinois, District Judge Frederick J. Kapala, Cynthia Gray (Director of the Center for Judicial Ethics of the American Judicature Society), Circuit Judge William J. Bauer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald, District Judges Charles P. Kocoras, and 7th Circuit Executive Collins T. Fitzpatrick.
In Boston the delegation had a two-day discussion of judicial conduct and ethics regulation in the state of Massachusetts. Justice Robert Cordy and Chief Justice Margaret Marshall of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court warmly welcomed the delegation in Boston. Russian experts also met with other judges, court staff and scholars.
During all meetings experts discussed such topics as:
Experts agreed that both US and Russian judiciary face same problems, and in both countries the ultimate goal of judicial ethics regulations is to maintain independent, fair and honest judiciary.
To continue the dialog, experts agreed to meet in Moscow one more time in December.
