Replication Data for: Imperial Legal Politics After theAge of Empires How the Russian Judiciary Adjudicates Commercial Disputes in Crimea

What is the role of law in imperial state-building projects? We study this question of historical significance with an empirical focus on Russian commercial courts in Crimea. We document the rise of disputes that involve the Russian state and strong pro-government favoritism in court decisions. We also find that commercial courts are used as a check on local political elites. At the same time, our analysis establishes favoritism towards local businesses in disputes with Russian businesses. Most importantly, we highlight that this stick-and-carrot legal politics is not just imposed from above. We find that local judges who defected to Russia act more favorably than outsider judges appointed from Russia towards the Russian state and businesses, plausibly because local judges want to signal their loyalty. The implication is that imperial legal domination emerges not only through directives from the metropole, but also through the everyday contributions of local imperial intermediaries.