The nomination of the president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan will take practical experience and academic renown into consideration, Presidential Office spokesperson Alex Huang (黃重諺) said, adding that calls to consider the gender ratio of appointees to the Council of Grand Justices would also be taken under advisement.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is reportedly considering former grand justice Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) and Taiwan High Court Judge Tsai Chung-tun (蔡炯燉) for president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan, respectively, following the withdrawal of Public Functionary Disciplinary Sanction Commission Chief Commissioner Hsieh Wen-ting (謝文定) and Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Lin Chin-fang (林錦芳).
Local media reports also said that the president might tap National Taiwan University law professors Hsu Chih-hsiung (許志雄), Huang Chao-yuan (黃昭元), Chan San-lin (詹森林) and human rights lawyer Huang Juei-min (黃瑞明) as grand justices.
The president is using a variety of methods to garner feedback on who should be appointed to the positions, including meeting with potential candidates, Alex Huang said.
Meanwhile, the Awakening Foundation on Friday said that the rumored candidates were not only mostly male, but many of them were also known for their conservative commentaries regarding gender equality.
The president should nominate women who are aware of gender issues, the foundation said, adding that such a move would serve to shake up the prominently conservative male upper echelons at the Judicial Yuan.
The foundation suggested that Tsai Ing-wen name former grand justice Hsu Yu-hsiu (許玉秀) as a candidate for either president or vice president of the Judicial Yuan, adding that such an appointment would not be unconstitutional, as the Constitution does not restrict reappointment to office.
In response, Alex Huang said the president would make the appointments in accordance with the Constitution, adding that while judicial reforms should be transparent to the public, it should also be implemented by individuals familiar with judicial proceedings.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
An apartment building in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) collapsed last night after a nearby construction project earlier in the day allegedly caused it to tilt. Shortly after work began at 9am on an ongoing excavation of a construction site on Liuzhang Street (六張街), two neighboring apartment buildings tilted and cracked, leading to exterior tiles peeling off, city officials said. The fire department then dispatched personnel to help evacuate 22 residents from nine households. After the incident, the city government first filled the building at No. 190, which appeared to be more badly affected, with water to stabilize the
EARTHQUAKE: Taipei and New Taipei City accused a construction company of ignoring the Circular MRT’s original design, causing sections to shift by up to 92cm The Taipei and New Taipei City governments yesterday said they would seek NT$1.93 billion (US$58.6 million) in compensation from the company responsible for building the Circular MRT Line, following damage sustained during an earthquake in April last year that had shuttered a section for months. BES Engineering Corp, a listed company under Core Pacific Group, was accused of ignoring the original design when constructing the MRT line, resulting in negative shear strength resistance and causing sections of the rail line between Jhonghe (中和) and Banciao (板橋) districts to shift by up to 92cm during the April 3 earthquake. The pot bearings on