Justice Shieh Ming-yan named acting Judicial Yuan head

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) Justice Shieh Ming-yan (謝銘洋) has been appointed acting president of the Judicial Yuan amid bottlenecks in the Legislature's confirmation process for new justices, according to Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧).

In a press release issued on Friday, Kuo said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) had named Shieh, who has served in his current role since 2019, the provisional head of Taiwan's top judicial branch in accordance with the Judicial Yuan Organization Act.

Shieh's appointment came a day after seven justices, including Judicial Yuan President Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) and his deputy Tsai Jeong-duen (蔡烱燉), stepped down on Thursday after completing their eight-year terms.

Kuo urged the Legislature to begin the confirmation process of the seven justice candidates appointed by Lai on Aug. 30, saying that their taking office soon would enable "the normal operations of the Judicial Yuan."

Lai has selected National Taiwan University (NTU) law professor Chang Wen-chen (張文貞) and former lawmaker Yao Li-ming (姚立明) to replace Hsu and Tsai, respectively, along with five other justice candidates, but these nominations still await legislative approval.

The Legislature has yet to schedule any confirmation hearings for these judicial nominees.

Since the new session began at the end of September, the Legislature has largely been brought to a standstill by disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties, including over government budget plans and other confirmations.

Shieh is one of the eight remaining justices at the Judicial Yuan whose primary responsibility is to preside over Constitutional Court cases.

Shieh, 67, holds a doctoral degree in law from the University of Munich in Germany and specializes in intellectual property and technology-related laws.

He served as dean of NTU's College of Law from 2012 to 2015.