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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Humanitarian Series

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Ethical status of a judge in the Republic of Belarus

https://doi.org/10.29235/2524-2369-2026-71-3-253-264

Abstract

The relevance of this research topic is determined by the special socio-legal status of individuals holding judicial office. Since judges in the Republic of Belarus are civil servants, they are subject to the provisions of both universal normative legal acts governing judicial and procedural activity, as well as the provisions of special acts. This is particularly relevant with regard to the regulation of the ethical status of judges in the Republic of Belarus. The purpose of this study is to examine the specifics of the ethical status of judges in the Republic of Belarus. To achieve this goal, the following objectives must be addressed: to characterize the legal nature of the Code of Judicial Honor of the Republic of Belarus; to identify the specifics of the ethical status of judges regarding their official and extra-official activities; to make proposals for the substantive content of the Code of Judicial Honor of the Republic of Belarus; and to conduct a comparative legal analysis of certain provisions of the Code of Judicial Honor of the Republic of Belarus and the Code of Judicial Ethics of the Russian Federation. Methods: general philosophical (analysis, synthesis, deduction), specific legal (comparative legal, formal legal, legal modeling). The study concluded that the Code of Judicial Honor of the Republic of Belarus, adopted almost 30 years ago, requires reform and updating in both its structure and content to reflect the current conditions of state and social development.

About the Author

E. N. Yarmats
A. S. Pushkin Brest State University
Belarus

Elena N. Yarmats – Ph. D. (Law), Associate Professor, Associate Professor at the Department of Theory and History of State and Law

21 Kosmonavtov Boulevard, Brest 224016



References

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