Justice nominees breeze through

The pan-blue-controlled legislature yesterday approved all 15 nominees for the Council of Grand Justices, including incumbent Judicial Yuan President Weng Yueh-sheng (翁岳生) and his deputy, Cheng Chung-mo (城仲模).

At the beginning of several hours of voting, Weng earned another four-year term with 157 votes in favor. Surprisingly, Chen garnered 168 votes, 56 above the threshold.

Cheng, a former justice minister, had been singled out by legal professionals as the only inappropriate grand justice nominee.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative leader Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進) interpreted the outcome as a result of Cheng's success in canvassing for votes.

"The result doesn't mean that Cheng earned greater repute than the judicial president. The vice nominee had engaged in campaigning for support from lawmakers because of his sense of crisis," Lee said.

A beaming Weng arrived at the Legislative Yuan at midday, saying: "I am very satisfied with today's result after displeasing many people with the judicial reforms that I pledged during my first judicial presidency."

The 71-year-old grand justice vowed that he would further promote judicial reform by enhancing the education of legal professionals.

"The top priority of current judicial reforms includes realizing the ideal of justice that the people desire and winning over their confidence about the judicature," Weng said.

With next year's presidential election in mind, pan-blue legislative leaders promised they would not obstruct yesterday's confirmation vote.

KMT and People First Party (PFP) lawmakers were allowed to cast their ballots freely and privately, in sharp contrast to the scene at the legislature last year when the pan-blue caucuses tried to boycott the confirmation vote on a previous grand justice nominee, Control Yuan members and the vice president of the Examination Yuan.

"The ruling party will have to shoulder the responsibility for any grand justice nominee being rejected by the confirmation vote since the opposition has promised an open vote," Lee said.

Lee nevertheless criticized several Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers for showing their ballots.

"The DPP is betraying its vow of not monitoring its members' votes by demanding every ruling party legislator show his or her ballot. This is shameful," Lee said.

DPP legislative leader Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) denied Lee's claim. He said some legislators displayed their ballots as a "personal habit" that had nothing to do with any party demands.

"It is nonsense to talk about votes being shown since the DPP has made it clear that no surveillance would be imposed on the confirmation vote," Tsai said.

DPP legislators Chou Ya-shu (周雅淑) and Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬), who were criticized by the KMT whip, said they were merely trying to dry the ink on their ballots.

"I didn't show my ballot to any colleague. In fact, there were no DPP colleagues around me at the time. Lee Chia-chin was the one standing next to me and it is impossible that I was flashing my ballot to a KMT member," Chou said.

Incumbent Grand Justice Lai In-jaw (賴英照) garnered the most votes, getting 210 in the 225-seat legislature.

Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力), dean and professor of the Law School at National Taiwan University, received 133 votes.Also See Story:

Legal experts relieved nominations confirmed