Local courts have been asked to recruit about 120,000 eligible “lay judges” for the first roster of 300 homicide cases, as the judicial system prepares to implement the National Judge Act (國民法官法) on Jan. 1 next year.
Under the new lay judge system, three professional judges and six private citizens, or lay judges, are to form a collegiate bench to preside over trials.
During the first phase of implementation, collegiate benches are to preside over cases in which intentional criminal acts have resulted in death, while the second phase is to involve cases in which a defendant is facing at least 10 years in prison.
The nation sees about 300 homicide cases every year.
Local district courts are to ask local governments for a list of eligible citizens chosen at random to serve as lay judges, Judicial Yuan Disciplinary Court Head Judge Peng Hsing-ming (彭幸鳴) said.
Republic of China citizens aged 23 or older would be eligible to serve, Peng said, adding that local district courts would start issuing notices by the end of the year.
The estimated 120,000 eligible candidates “should be mentally prepared that they will have to serve in the coming year,” Peng said.
Judicial Yuan spokesman Chang Yung-hung (張永宏) said that the agency has held more than 55 trial sessions for the lay judge system to prepare for its implementation.
Specific groups and professionals were invited to attend five of the sessions, while for the remaining 50 sessions, local governments were asked to randomly select residents for a preliminary list, which was then trimmed by the district court, Chang said.
Based on the past year, about 102,343 individuals from 363 townships and districts have been deemed eligible, or about 98.64 percent of the eligible population.
A total of 12,114 people were selected from the initial list, Peng said, adding that they were roughly evenly split along gender lines with 6,073 men and 6,041 women, of which 471 were ultimately chosen.
They came from all walks of life, while people aged 40 to 49 were best represented, followed by 30-to-39-year-olds and 50-to-59-year-olds, Peng said.
This demonstrates that participants all have a modicum of social experience, Peng added.
Peng said that there were 167 judges, 144 prosecutors and 144 advocates, of which 128 were dispatched from bar associations, six from legal aid foundations and 10 from assigned counsel, adding that this shows that more practicing lawyers are endeavoring to become better at their profession.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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