President Lai selects new justices for Constitutional Court

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) The Presidential Office on Friday announced a new list of Constitutional Court nominees, nearly two months after the Legislature rejected President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) previous justice selections.

At a news conference in Taipei, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Tsai Chiu-ming (蔡秋明), a head prosecutor of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office, and Su Su-e (蘇素娥), a Supreme Court judge, were nominated as president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan, as well as justices.

The Judicial Yuan, which oversees the Constitutional Court, is currently headed by Justice Shieh Ming-yan (謝銘洋), the body's acting president.

Hsiao praised Tsai and Su for their extensive experience in the judicial field, notably their roles in investigating and trying a major corruption case in the 1990s surrounding the Taiwanese military's procurement of La Fayette-class frigates from France.

The two nominees have made "significant contributions to Taiwanese [authorities'] efforts to recover illicit gains," Hsiao said, referring to bribes and kickbacks taken by officials and arms brokers from Taiwan and France in connection with the deal.

Five other nominees, including one judge, one prosecutor and three scholars, will also be excellent justices, Hsiao said, citing their diverse backgrounds and expertise.

The other nominees are Supreme Court Judge Zheng Chun-hui (鄭純惠), Head Prosecutor of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Lin Li-ying (林麗瑩), and law professors Hsiao Wen-sheng (蕭文生), Chen Tsi-yang (陳慈陽) and Chan Chen-jung (詹鎮榮).

The vice president called on lawmakers to support the nominations, saying that filling the vacancies in the Constitutional Court is "a duty" shared by the president and the Legislature.

Lai previously picked seven candidates to replace justices whose eight-year terms ended on Oct. 31, 2024, but all were rejected by the Legislature later that year.

In particular, 52 lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and two independents ideologically aligned with the party voted against all the nominees they perceived as partisan and supportive of the abolition of the death penalty in Taiwan.

Eight lawmakers from the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) opposed six of the nominees, and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, with 51 votes, rejected one.

The Constitutional Court, which normally has 15 justices but currently only has eight, has been effectively immobilized since measures pushed through by KMT and TPP lawmakers requiring a minimum of 10 justices to hear and rule on a case took effect on Jan. 25.

The amendments to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act not only established the quorum but also mandated that any ruling declaring a legal provision unconstitutional be backed by at least nine justices.

While the DPP legislative caucus has petitioned the Constitutional Court for an injunction to halt the enforcement of those measures, the court has yet to decide whether to hear such a case.

At Friday's event, the vice president blocked media questions about the nominees' positions on the amendments and the death penalty, saying they would have the opportunity to address those issues during legislative confirmation hearings later.