History of Changes in Staffing Table of the Courts of Conscience in the Russian Empire in 1848

The author examines the activities of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Empire in 1848 (including the opinions of the Minister of Justice, Count V.N. Panin) regarding changes to the staffing schedule of courts of conscience. The introduction of previously unpublished materials from the collections of the Russian State Historical Archive has made it possible to uncover the reasons (official and unofficial) and mechanisms behind the changes to the staffing schedule of courts of conscience. The study concluded that judges of conscience were the most financially vulnerable servants of Themis in the pre-reform period, despite being located at the provincial level in the Russian justice system. Among the innovations in the temporary staffing schedule of courts of conscience in 1848, a significant one was the proposal by the Minister of Justice, V.N. Panin, to completely abolish state salaries for judges of conscience. This was officially explained by the fact that these positions were primarily filled by wealthy noblemen with financial security. In fact, the state salary played a significant role for conscientious judges, which is why they feared its abolition. The real reason for the complete abolition of the salary of judges of the courts of conscience was the preparation for their gradual closure and abolition. The courts of conscience were established in 1775, and by the very essence of their activities, contradicted the bureaucratic system of the era of Nicholas I as legal positivism was increasingly expanding its influence on domestic legal proceedings.