A Vulnerable Judiciary Needs the Public's Support!

Following an all-night voting marathon, the 6th Legislative Yuan concludes its term today. While the Judicial Reform Foundation is somewhat gratified that the plenary session managed to narrowly pass the budget related to the High Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Division, it expresses disappointment and regret over the deletion of the Grand Justices' "Professional Allowance for Judicial Personnel," as well as the failure to complete legislative amendments for crucial judicial reform bills—such as the Judicial Yuan Organization Act, the Judges Act, and the Court Organization Act—which must now be re-examined by the next term of legislators.

In recent days, the budget for the Special Investigation Division and the professional allowance for the Grand Justices became a focus of budget review in the Legislative Yuan. The final result, however, was that the Special Investigation Division's budget narrowly passed, whereas the Grand Justices' allowance was cut. This demonstrates that within the separation of powers, the judicial branch—due to its passive adjudicative nature—is inherently in a vulnerable position compared to the legislative and executive branches. With this cut to the Grand Justices' allowance, even if the Legislative Yuan's actions were truly illegal and unconstitutional, it would likely be extremely difficult for the Grand Justices to seek self-remedy. Therefore, if we truly wish to establish a system of checks and balances among the three branches, the judiciary must rely on the broad support of the people.

Nevertheless, the Judges Act, amendments to the Judicial Yuan Organization Act, and amendments to the Court Organization Act, which the Judicial Reform Foundation has long advocated for, have all been shelved by the Legislative Yuan without deliberation. Due to the rule of continuity of terms, these efforts must be arduously restarted from scratch. The Legislative Yuan's long-standing apathy toward these vital judicial reform bills and its lack of enthusiasm for judicial reform truly fails the trust placed in it by the public.

Accordingly, the Judicial Reform Foundation hereby calls upon the public to jointly demand that the incoming legislators swiftly pass the Judicial Yuan Organization Act, the Judges Act, the Court Organization Act, and other related bills, and to cheer on a vulnerable judiciary!