About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


44 B.U. Int'l L.J. 1 (2026)

handle is hein.journals/builj44 and id is 1 raw text is: LEGAL PLURALISM AND THE RECEPTION OF TRIAL BY JURY IN THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA ANNA DOLIDZE & VALERIE P. HANS* ABSTRACT This Article explores the historical, political, and socio-legal dimensions of the introduction and evolution ofjury trials in the Republic of Georgia, framed through the dual lenses of legal pluralism and legal transplantation. It examines Georgia's historical practices ofpeer judgment, its adoption ofjury trials in the early 20th century, the abolition ofjury trials under Soviet rule, and their revival after constitutional reforms in 2004. The study incorporates insights from legal pluralism theory, which emphasizes the influence of indigenous legal traditions and the dynamic interplay of official and unofficial laws. The Article describes the significant role of U.S. financial aid and legal expertise in the contemporary adoption of jury trials but challenges the simplistic narrative of an American- imposed legal transplant. Instead, the analysis shows that Georgia's jury system is a layered amalgamation of historical practices, colonial-era legal reforms, and modern democratic aspirations. By integrating sources in both Georgian and English, the Article highlights how preexisting legal customs have shaped the trajectory of jury trials in Georgia and calls for greater methodological attention to local legal histories in comparative law scholarship. * Anna Dolidze is a Visiting Fellow at the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, Regensburg, Germany. Valerie P. Hans is the Charles F. Rechlin Professor of Law at Cornell Law School, Ithaca, NY. 1