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RAROLC has an ongoing relationship with the Open World Program at the Library of Congress to sponsor visits by members of the Russian and Ukrainian legal community to the United States.
Managed by the Open World Leadership Center, an independent agency located at the Library of Congress, Open World brings emerging Russian political and civic leaders to the United States for an in-depth, on-site introduction to American democratic and free-market institutions. Open World conducts its landmark rule of law program for Russian jurists in cooperation with the International Judicial Relations Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States and with RAROLC. A leading U.S. federal or state judge plans and participates in the local schedule of each Open World rule of law delegation. The Open World Program is the only exchange program housed in the U.S. legislative branch.
Open World has given more than 7,000 current and future Russian decision makers an in-depth introduction to American political and civic life.
The Russian American Rule of Law Consortium began hosting Open World delegates in 1999, the year of inception for the Open World Program. Only three delegates were hosted during this year under the category “emerging Russian leaders”. The main focus for the Vermont-based training was economic development for local Russian NGO leaders and mayors.
In the year 2000, the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium proposed a “rule of law” component to the Open World Program to host delegations comprised mainly of judges. A total of 49 delegates, mainly from general jurisdiction courts, were hosted in four RAROLC partner states in this year. Because of RAROLC’s unique partnership model in the area of rule of law (building on its experience of conducting rule of law exchange programs since 1992) its members are able to provide direct input in the type and quality of the professional and cultural aspects of their American experience. The RAROLC model of creating and implementing both the professional and cultural program has proven to be highly successful one that builds permanent ties within the legal communities in Russia and the United States.
The year 2001 followed the implementation of the judges’ delegations. The Russian American Rule of Law Consortium hosted a total of 30 judges in this year, comprised again of general jurisdiction courts.
Because of many reforms in Russian law that occurred at the end of 2001, such as the changes in the Criminal Procedure Code, the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium incorporated several additional types of rule of law delegations in 2002 to meet the needs of the new provisions in Russian law. For example, in response to these changes in law, the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium began hosting jury trial groups to prepare judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys for jury trials to begin in Russia in 2003. In 2002, RAROLC hosted 104 delegates comprised of the following groups: 1) Judicial, including general jurisdiction judges, commercial court (arbitrazh) judges, and court administrators; 2) Jury Trial groups, comprised of judges on the oblast level court and those part of the criminal trial collegium, trial procurators who will be prosecuting jury trials, advocates who will be defending jury trials; and 3) “Sister Court” groups to establish a Russian region and US location to implement a sister court system with federal and state courts; and 4) Law School Faculty and Legal Clinicians. In every location, RAROLC strives to meet the specific needs of the delegation makeup. For delegations specific to jury trials, a group may meet with judges and observe various jury proceedings, meet with jurors, etc.
In 2003, the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium expanded on the rule of law theme to include justices of the peace and journalists covering rule of law issues. A total of 108 delegates were hosted by RAROLC partner states in all areas of the “rule of law” sector in the Open World Program. These now include: 1) Judges (general jurisdiction and commercial court); 2) Jury Trial; 3) Journalists; 4) Law Faculty and Clinicians; 5) Justices of the Peace.
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