суд первой инстанции(a court in which legal proceedings are begun or first heard. COED. В России это, напр., суд общей юрисдикции или арбитражный суд Alexander Demidov)
судья первой инстанции(more hits. Judge Flores, a first-instance judge overseeing pre-trial matters, convened the hearing pursuant to a Constitutional Court ruling issued on ... | Following the Privy Council decision, the complex litigation had been case managed in the Isle of Man by the first instance judge, who had ... Alexander Demidov)