The existing research on judicial politics in post-communist regimes tends to focus on the ways, in which political branches treat the judiciary, and the roles the constitutional courts shape political transformation. However, we know very little on how the judicial corps survives and reproduces in the context of continuing judicial reforms. This paper argues that judicial networks serve as social goods, which help protecting judicial values, norms and processes, and accepting, adapting to, and resisting against the judicial reform proposals as well as attacks against individual judges. Kazakhstan practices rotation of court presidents among different regions, which would reduce the potential of judicial networks to survive, while Russia does not. Thus, we would observe weaker judicial solidarity in Kazakhstan as compared to Russia. Evidence for this argument comes from the biographical databases of judges in both countries and activities of councils of judges.
