Legislature sets July 25 confirmation vote on grand justice nominees

Taipei, June 13 (CNA) The Legislature on Friday set a recorded vote for July 25 to confirm the appointments of Constitutional Court justice nominees.

The decision came during a plenary session of the Legislative Yuan after the opposition Taiwan People's Party caucus proposed the review and voting schedule for the confirmations, with no objections from lawmakers present.

The TPP caucus proposed a public hearing on the case on July 3, committee of the whole sessions on July 9, 10 and 14, and a vote on July 25.

The committee of the whole Yuan will review the nominees on the three selected days, with seven lawmakers questioning each nominee.

The nominees were selected by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on March 21. They include Tsai Chiu-ming (蔡秋明), chief prosecutor of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office, and Su Su-e (蘇素娥), a Supreme Court judge. They were nominated as president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan, as well as Constitutional Court justices.

Other nominees include Supreme Court Judge Zheng Chun-hui (鄭純惠), Taiwan High Prosecutors Office head prosecutor 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 case was originally scheduled for review by the committee of the whole Legislative Yuan in April, but the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) caucus requested reconsideration.

The matter was brought up again in May, but the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said the KMT's reconsideration "froze" the process, and that it could only continue after the reconsideration ends.

Currently, only eight justices preside over the 15-seat court after seven completed their terms at the end of October 2024, and the Legislature rejected Lai's replacement nominations.

Justice Shieh Ming-yan (謝銘洋) is serving as the court's president.