Corruption as a factor in the delegitimization of justice

The article examines the phenomenon of judicial corruption as a factor that negatively affects the legitimacy of the judiciary, which is based on the public's trust in the court and judicial protection. It was established that the fight against corruption in the judiciary is a global trend, as evidenced by numerous international documents. They, in particular, emphasize the priority of eradicating judicial corruption, as it undermines the rule of law, which is the cornerstone of pluralistic democracy, calls into question equality before the law and the right to a fair trial, and undermines the legitimacy of all state authorities. Judicial corruption stands in the way of the stable functioning of the rule of law. It was noted that corruption discredits any power institution, and as for the judiciary, it destroys its basic value - a person's faith in the justice of the court, the justice of the court process and the court decision. It not only undermines trust in the judiciary, negatively affecting its authority. Judicial corruption causes social stratification, causing sharp negative reactions in society in relation to the professional community of judges. Based on the analysis of scientific sources, it was concluded that there are no unified approaches to the definition of judicial corruption or a standardized understanding of its manifestations. At the same time, according to the authors, the priority for research should be issues of praxeological direction: the causes of judicial corruption, its typical manifestations, consequences, measures of counteraction and struggle. In conclusion, it is stated that judicial corruption, characterized by the specificity and nature of a special danger for the stable functioning of the state, has many manifestations (bribery, extortion, nepotism, etc.) and reasons (structural, economic, political, social, personal). Therefore, all researchers are united in the issue of the need for a consistent and comprehensive policy of countering and fighting judicial corruption. All three key subjects must be involved in its implementation: the state, society and the judicial system, whose actions depend on the legitimacy of the judiciary in the state.