Supreme Court Oral Argument Research Group — Call for Applications

Only through direct and oral proceedings can judges see each defendant in every case as a "living", "soulful" person with "the bitters and sweets of life".

In December 2012, the Supreme Court announced that it would henceforth hold oral arguments for death penalty sentencing debates and cases of significant legal importance. The Judicial Reform Foundation intends to establish the Supreme Court Oral Argument Research Group, led by attorneys and scholars, to guide the public and students in observing Supreme Court trials.

From monitoring Supreme Court hearings to hoping that it will establish debate rules, summon defendants to make statements in court, and train and pass down sentencing debate practices, we hope that in a democratic society, oral arguments at the Supreme Court will not only resolve individual case disputes but also fulfill the functions of educating the public and enhancing trust in the judiciary.

The research group hopes to accomplish the following:

1. Compile case summaries and create accessible explainers
   Prior to the hearings, study the case numbers and judgments made publicly available by the Supreme Court, and hold reading groups to sort out the legal disputes of previous judgments, making it easier for the public attending the observations to understand the content of the oral arguments.
   
2. Participation by observation team attorneys or scholars at every hearing
   Attorneys and scholars will directly discuss and interact with the public and students on-site, observing court hearing procedures and the judges' attitudes.
   
3. Produce annual and quarterly reports and publish articles
   Regularly release the contents of Supreme Court courtroom observation reports to the public, invite attorneys and scholars to write judgment commentaries, and set up a dedicated column on the website.
   

Chart: Rows with shaded backgrounds indicate oral arguments for cases involving major legal disputes; ** indicates oral arguments held at the Supreme Court more than once.

Defendant	Case No. / Cause of Action	Judge	Preparatory Proceedings	Oral Argument	Judgment / Case Number
Wu Min-cheng	101st Year, Shang, No. 3546 / Homicide	Wu Ts'an / Commissioner Lai Chung-hsing / Presiding Judge	2012/12/03 10:00	2012/12/24 09:30	2013/01/13 Vacated and Remanded 102, Tai-Shang, 170
Wu Ch'i-hao	101st Year, Shang, No. 4823 / Domestic Violence Homicide	Sung Ming-chung / Commissioner Huang Yi-hsin / Presiding Judge	2012/12/26 10:00	2013/01/22 10:00	2013/02/5 Life Imprisonment 102, Tai-Shang, 531
Chen Yü-an	101st Year, Shang, No. 4620 / Domestic Violence Homicide	Hsieh Ching-heng / Commissioner Hsieh Chun-hsiung / Presiding Judge	None	2013/01/16 09:30	2013/01/30 Death Penalty Finalized 102, Tai-Shang, 446
Lin Chao-jen	101st Year, Shang, No. 462 / Corruption	Chen Chun-chiu / Commissioner Huang Cheng-hsing / Presiding Judge	2013/02/06 09:30	2013/03/22 09:30	2013/04/12 Vacated and Remanded 102, Tai-Shang, 1448
Lin Yü-ju	101st Year, Shang, No. 4678 / Homicide	Hung Chia-pin / Commissioner Shih Mu-ch'in / Presiding Judge	None	2013/05/29 09:30	2013/06/13 Death Penalty Finalized 102, Tai-Shang, 2392
Chiu Ho-cheng	101st Year, Shang, No. 1028 / Kidnapping for Ransom	Hsü Chin-yin / Commissioner Huang Cheng-hsing / Presiding Judge	None	2013/05/31 09:30	2013/06/27 Death Penalty Finalized 102, Tai-Shang, 2573
Lin Kuo-cheng	102nd Year, Shang, No. 2575 / Compulsory Sexual Assault Resulting in Death	Chen Chun-chiu / Commissioner Huang Cheng-hsing / Presiding Judge	None	2013/05/31 10:30	2013/06/27 Life Imprisonment 102, Tai-Shang, 2575
Chen Yung-chih	102nd Year, Shang, No. 3212 / Homicide	Hung Hsiao-neng / Commissioner Chen Shih-tsung / Presiding Judge	2013/10/4 10:00	2013/11/29 09:30	2013/12/17 Vacated and Remanded 102, Tai-Shang, 5092
Chen Kun-ming	102nd Year, Shang, No. 3211 / Homicide	Chen Shih-hsiung / Commissioner Huang Cheng-hsing / Presiding Judge	None	2013/10/7 09:30	2013/10/21 Vacated and Remanded 102, Tai-Shang, 4289
Shen Chiang-t'ien	102nd Year, Shang, No. 3528 / Homicide	Li Chin-liang / Commissioner Li Po-tao / Presiding Judge	2013/10/23 15:00	2013/11/28 15:00	2013/12/18 Vacated and Remanded 102, Tai-Shang, 5123
Chang Ho-ling	101st Year, Shang, No. 5423 / Domestic Violence Homicide	Wu Ts'an / Commissioner Lai Chung-hsing / Presiding Judge	2013/10/25 09:40	2013/11/22 10:30	2013/12/30 Vacated and Remanded 102, Tai-Shang, 5251
Sun Kuo-huang	102nd Year, Shang, No. 1585 / Homicide	Chang Hui-li / Commissioner Lai Chung-hsing / Presiding Judge	2013/11/08 09:30	Hearing not held!	2013/12/19 Vacated and Remanded 102, Tai-Shang, 5129
P'eng Chien-yüan	102nd Year, Shang, No. 2960 / Homicide	Su Chen-t'ang / Commissioner Lai Chung-hsing / Presiding Judge	None	2013/11/22 09:30	2013/12/12 Vacated and Remanded 102, Tai-Shang, 5091
Tsai Chung-cheng	102nd Year, Shang, No. 273 / Act Governing Control of Guns, Ammunition and Knives	Huang Jen-sung / Commissioner Shih Mu-ch'in / Presiding Judge	None	2013/12/03 09:30	2013/12/17 Acquittal Finalized 102, Tai-Shang, 5093
Lin Chi-hsiung *Passed away on April 12 of the same year	Not Announced / Homicide	Chou Ying-wen / Commissioner Chen Shih-hsiung / Presiding Judge	Not Announced	Not Announced	2014/3/19 Vacated and Remanded 103, Tai-Shang, 807
P'eng Chien-yüan**	103rd Year, Shang, No. 1327 / Homicide	Su Chen-t'ang / Commissioner Lai Chung-hsing / Presiding Judge	2014/7/11 10:00	2014/8/15 10:00	2014/9/2 Death Penalty Finalized 103, Tai-Shang, 3062
Shen Wen-pin	103rd Year, Shang, No. 2302 / Homicide	Lin Li-hua / Commissioner Li Po-tao / Presiding Judge	2014/9/19 10:00	2014/10/17 09:30	2014/11/7 Vacated and Remanded 103, Tai-Shang, 3908
Sun Kuo-huang**	103rd Year, Shang, No. 3089 / Homicide	Chang Hui-li / Commissioner Chen Shih-hsiung / Presiding Judge	2014/11/21 10:00	2015/1/16 10:30	2015/1/29 Vacated and Remanded 104, Tai-Shang, 298
Hsieh Yi-han	103rd Year, Shang, No. 3847 / Robbery Resulting in Homicide	Tuan Ching-jung / Commissioner Hung Chia-pin / Presiding Judge	None	2015/1/30 09:30	2015/2/12 Vacated and Remanded 104, Tai-Shang, 483
Tsai Ching-ching	104th Year, Shang, No. 972 / Domestic Violence Homicide	Hsü Shih-feng / Commissioner Li Po-tao / Presiding Judge	2015/5/25 10:00	2015/6/29 10:00	2015/7/24 Vacated and Remanded 104, Tai-Shang, 2268
Chen Yu-shu	104th Year, Shang, No. 1384 / Kidnapping for Ransom	Chang Ch'un-fu / Commissioner Huang Cheng-hsing / Presiding Judge	2015/7/7 10:00	2015/7/28 09:30	2015/8/27 Vacated and Remanded 104, Tai-Shang, 2601
Hsieh Yi-han**	104th Year, Shang, No. 2371 / Robbery Resulting in Homicide	Tuan Ching-jung / Commissioner Hung Chia-pin / Presiding Judge	2015/9/25 10:00	2015/11/13 09:30	2015/11/27 Vacated and Remanded 104, Tai-Shang, 3630
Shen Wen-pin**	104th Year, Shang, No. 2259 / Homicide	Lin Li-hua / Commissioner Li Po-tao / Presiding Judge	2015/10/2 10:00	2015/11/6 09:30	2015/11/30 Vacated and Remanded 104, Tai-Shang, 3631
Cheng Chieh	104th Year, Shang, No. 4158 / Homicide	Chen Shih-tsung / Presiding Judge	2016/1/27 09:30 Preparation before oral argument	2016/4/7 09:00