Fourteen civil society groups on Wednesday called on the legislature to hold fair and rigorous hearings for seven justice nominees soon, expressing concern that the process could be derailed by ongoing inter-party struggles.
The groups, which have formed a provisional “alliance” to monitor the yet-to-be-scheduled nomination hearings, also cast doubt on whether former legislator Yao Li-ming (姚立明), handpicked by President William Lai (賴清德) as a justice and deputy head of the Judicial Yuan, is fit for the position.
The legislature should arrange nomination hearings “as soon as possible,” and provide each justice nominee with an opportunity to express his or her views and respond to questions or concerns, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University professor Huang Song-lih (黃嵩立) said.
Photo: CNA
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have yet to agree on the dates for nomination hearings.
Since the new session began at the end of last month, the legislature has been at a standstill as the ruling party and the opposition are unable to reach an agreement on government budget plans and other nomination confirmations, among other issues.
The hearings for justice nominees should be conducted “fairly” and “rigorously” to examine the candidates’ moral integrity, views on constitutional order and human rights, and their competence, Huang said.
The hearings must not be used as a “tool or leverage” by lawmakers in their inter-party competition, he said, adding that any acts to rashly carry out or hamper hearings risk undermining the credibility of the judicial system and democratic governance.
Huang serves as convener of the alliance, which is comprised of the Judicial Reform Foundation (JRF), the Taipei Bar Association, the Taiwan Criminal Defense Attorney Association and the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, among others.
However, the group appeared reserved when asked how it had evaluated the seven nominees — including National Taiwan University law professor Chang Wen-chen (張文貞), who was tapped to head the Judicial Yuan — announced by the Presidential Office on Aug. 30.
The alliance had proposed 15 questions for the justice nominees, along with additional questions for Chang and Yao, to learn more about their views on human rights and judicial policy issues, JRF deputy CEO Lee Ming-ju (李明洳) said.
“We will be able to assess” the qualification of the nominees after they respond to our questions, Lee said.
Lee said that the alliance questioned Yao’s ability to “go beyond party lines” and fulfill his duties impartially, given the fact that he served as director of Lai’s presidential campaign headquarters in this year’s presidential election.
The group also expressed doubt about Yao’s competence in participating in Constitutional Court reviews, noting that the former lawmaker last published a law-related academic paper in 2007 and has primarily been involved in political work for the past two decades.
The seven incumbent justices are scheduled to step down on Oct. 31 after serving for eight years.
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