Establishing a Permanent Judicial Reform Committee: Press Conference on Demands and Visits to Presidential Candidates

With the 2016 presidential election approaching, presidential candidates from various political parties have successively launched campaign activities and proposed policy white papers. Judicial reform is one of the issues of greatest public concern. Regrettably, more than ten years after the National Judicial Reform Conference held in 1999, those in power still seem to have no consensus on the policy directions for constitutionalism, human rights, judicial reform, and legal education.

We believe that candidates intending to run for the presidency in 2016 should squarely face the deeply rooted problems of our nation's judicial reform, and propose actionable judicial policy white papers that can be scrutinized by the public, demonstrating that they are prepared to govern. Therefore, we sincerely call for the following:

1. The policy white papers proposed by presidential candidates should include specific directions for judicial reform.
2. Upon taking office, the elected presidential candidate should immediately establish a nationwide, permanent Judicial Reform Committee within the Office of the President.
3. Furthermore, this committee should be composed primarily of public participation to practically drive subsequent judicial reforms, rather than serving merely as a coordination mechanism.

To present our demands regarding judicial policy directly to the presidential candidates of all political parties, we will contact and visit the presidential candidates of each party, hoping to understand and communicate the content and direction of the new president's judicial policies for the next four years.

Attendees

Taiwan Bar Association / Chairman Li Chia-ch'ing
Taipei Bar Association / Chairman Huang Hsu-t'ien
Taiwan Law Association / Secretary-General Lin Chia-ho
Judicial Reform Foundation / Chairman Lin Yung-sung, Executive Director Kao Jung-chih

Press Contact

Judicial Reform Foundation Executive Director Attorney Kao Jung-chih 02-25231178