Russia’s Timid Judges

A good quote from retired Constitutional Court Judge Tamara Morshchakova in RFE/RL’s coverage of a resolution ordering Russian courts to uphold decisions from the European Court on Human Rights:

“I think our judges are very timid and in all cases act on their own initiative as little as possible,” she said. “This is especially true in cases when a national court has already delivered a ruling which has come into force. And now they are supposed to review such decisions! In the Russian legal system this is impossible without a direct order from Russia’s Supreme Court.”