Legal precedents of the courts of conscious in the Russian empire

The article deals with the activities of a special judicial body in the Russian Empire - the court of conscious. It had to judge according to one’s conscience being guided by the principles of natural justice and philanthropy. The court of conscious was established by Catherine II influenced by the ideals of natural law, free trial and the common good. As a special institution of the civil society of the enlightened absolutism period, the court of conscious had to protect the natural rights of a human being, but its ideas, principles and objectives were not implemented in practice.