The «Austrian Judicial Gazetteс» as a reflection of Bukovyna’s legal life during the Austro-Hungarian Period (the early XX century)

The article provides a comprehensive historical and legal analysis of the role of the «Austrian Judicial Gazette» as a specialized periodical and a communication platform for professional interaction among judges and legal practitioners in Bukovyna during the Austro-Hungarian period of the early XX century. It substantiates that the emergence of this newspaper was stipulated by a combination of institutional and socio-legal factors, including a shortage of personnel in the regional judicial system, dynamic changes in imperial legislation, and the specific legal status of Bukovyna as a multinational border area. The article studies the functioning of the newspaper as an instrument of professional self-organization of the judiciary, highlighting its role in facilitating the exchange of doctrinal ideas, the systematization and generalization of judicial practice, and the formation of a common professional discourse. The article also examines the structure of the edition, the composition of its authors and editors, as well as the thematic range of its materials, which included analyses of legislative innovations, issues related to the organization and operation of judicial institutions, case law in civil and criminal matters, the protection of children’s rights, penitentiary issues, and medico-legal aspects of justice. Particular emphasis has been laid on the institutional transformations of thenewspaper, particularly the transfer of the “Austrian Judicial Gazette” in 1907 under the control of the preparatory committee of the Association of Austrian Judges, which strengthened its empire-wide nature, promoted the consolidation of the judiciary, and contributed to the formation of a unified professional communication body. The article concludes that the “Austrian Judicial Gazette” became the first professional judicial publication in Bukovyna with a significant all-Austrian influence, which played an important role in shaping judges’ professional identity, enhancing legal culture, and advancing legal thought in the region. The newspaper reflected both local issues of law enforcement and general imperial trends in legal development, serving simultaneously as a mirror of the region’s legal life and an effective instrument for integrating regional and all-Austrian legal norms.