Iustits-Kollegiia

(Collegium of Justice), a central state institution in Russia in the 18th century.

The Iustits-Kollegiia was formed in Moscow on May 9, 1718, by uniting the old sudn’ye prikazy (high courts). The collegium supervised the local courts and was the highest appellate court for both criminal and civil cases. In 1722 the seat of the collegium was moved to St. Petersburg. From 1719 to 1740, the Iustits-Kollegiia included a peasant bureau, which formalized documents certifying ownership of land and peasants; from 1730 to 1763 an office for tracing fugitive peasants was also under the jurisdiction of the collegium.

After the introduction of provincial institutions in 1775, the judicial functions of the Iustits-Kollegiia were transferred to the local provincial courts, and the administration of the courts was entrusted to the Senate. The Iustits-Kollegiia was abolished on July 27, 1786.