Pyotr Stuchka was born in the Governorate of Livonia into a fairly wealthy peasant family. He graduated from the Riga City Gymnasium (1883) and the Law Faculty of St. Petersburg University (1888). He was a prominent leader of the social democratic movement in Latvia, editor of the newspaper Dienas Lapa [Daily newsletter]. Stuchka was arrested in 1897, in 1897–1902, he served exile in Vyatka governorate. In 1904, he became a founder and member of the Central Committee of the Latvian Social Democratic Labour Party (since 1906, Social Democracy of the Latvian Territory). He was an author of articles on agrarian and national issues in Latvian and All-Russian social democratic media. Since 1915, he supported the communication of the Social Democracy of the Latvian Territory leadership with the Central Committee and the Petersburg Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP).

Since March 1917, he was a member of the Executive Committee of Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies from the Social Democracy of the Latvian Territory and the St. Petersburg Committee of the RSDLP(b). He took part in the All-Russian Conference of Soviets on March 29 – April 3, 1917, and the meeting of Bolshevik delegates on April 4. Stuchka was a leader of the 13th conference of the Social Democracy of the Latvian Territory in Moscow (April 1917). On April 24–29, 1917, he was a delegate to the 7th conference of the RSDLP(b). Since May 1917, he headed the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Social Democracy of the Latvian Territory in Petrograd (since October, Social Democracy of Latvia).

Stuchka took part in the October coup of 1917 in Petrograd. He supported Smolny’s [headquarters of revolutionary forces led by Vladimir Lenin] communication with Latvian riflemen and other revolutionary units of the Northern Front.

His subsequent career included the following: a member of the Presidium of the 2nd All-Russian Congress of Soviets; a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) of the Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies (in charge of its legal department); Chairman of the Investigative Commission of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee.

He was one of the authors of the Decree on the Court No. 1; in December 1917, Commissar for the destruction of old and organization of new judicial institutions in Petrograd; in March–August 1918, People’s Commissar of Justice of the Russian SFSR; since March 1918, Commissar of Justice of the Petrograd Labour Commune; in March–August 1918, a member of the Collegium of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, Deputy People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs; in December 1918 – January 1920, Chairman of the government of the Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic; since March 1919, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Latvia.

In 1919–1921, Stuchka was Deputy People’s Commissar of Justice of the Russian SFSR. In 1922, he took part in the development of the Civil Code of the Russian SFSR. In 1919–1920, he was a member of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) – RCP(b). Since 1920, Stuchka was Head of the Latvian section of the Communist International. In 1923–1932, he was Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian SFSR. Stuchka took part in the forming of the Moscow Institute of Soviet Law and became its first director (1931). He died in Moscow and was buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.