Politics, judicial review and the Russian constitutional court

"Why are judicial review mechanisms being incorporated into so many states? Why do these courts become independent, powerful political actors in some cases but not in others? In this study, Carla Thorson analyzes why politicians create an independent judicial institution with the authority to overrule their own decisions. The focus of the book is on a country with no tradition of independent judicial review or of democratic forms of governance - Russia. Past practices and historical precedent do not support the formation of an independent judiciary in Russia, and yet a potentially powerful constitutional court exists and has been functioning for 20 years. Over these two decades the Russian Constitutional Court has evolved from an institution with a great deal of power and promise to one with a much more limited role and set of responsibilities. Russian politicians have both used the court to further their own political objectives and sought to limit its powers. The reasons for this are explored in this book"--P. [4] of cover.