Grand justice nominee Remington Huang (黃瑞明) yesterday promised to recuse himself from the constitutional interpretation cases filed by his wife, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女), and not to seek reappointment when his term ends amid growing public distrust of the judiciary.
Huang, an attorney at the law firm Baker and McKenzie, proposed changes to the judiciary to improve efficiency, diversify judicial appointments and introduce a lay judge system at a legislative review of the grand justice nominees.
Judicial reforms need to address the tendency of lawyers and prosecutors to launch unnecessary litigation; to recruit experienced lawyers as judges to prevent the appointment of so-called “dinosaur judges” that are out of touch with society; and ensure that local courts can conduct trials more thoroughly, he said.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Huang expressed support for a variety of issues, including same-sex marriage, decriminalization of adultery, legalizing euthanasia, abolishing the death penalty and lowering the minimum voting age, but declined to answer questions involving political judgements, such as whether Taiwan is a “normal country,” whether the so-called “1992 consensus” is constitutional, whether a new Constitution is needed and whether it is unconstitutional for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to chair High-level Policy Coordination Meetings with the Cabinet, lawmakers and local government chiefs.
Amid controversy surrounding the nomination of former grand justice Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) as Judicial Yuan president, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) questioned whether Huang would accept reappointment after his term expires, as the law stipulates that grand justices cannot serve continuous terms, but does not specify if they can serve a second term.
“I can promise that I will not [seek reappointment]. This will be noted in the records,” Huang said.
He would be nearly 70 at the end of his term and would be unsuitable to assume the responsibilities, Huang said, adding that Hsu’s nomination is not unconstitutional.
In response to a question from KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) about whether he could remain impartial when handling petitions for constitutional interpretations lodged by Yu, Huang said he would recuse himself from cases submitted by Yu and his former clients.
However, Huang said there is no need to recuse himself from petitions seconded by Yu according to the law, because such petitions are collectively launched by lawmakers.
Chiang said that public trust of the judiciary can hardly be regained if Huang could not exercise the highest ethical standards and distance himself from cases involving his spouse.
Huang said that the constitutional right to equality and non-discrimination should be extended to same-sex couples, and the Civil Code could be inadequate in protecting the rights of homosexuals if it only recognizes heterosexual marriages.
“The Civil Code apparently only recognizes marriage as being between a man and a woman, which does not take the rights of homosexuals into consideration,” he said.
Amending the law is the best way to eliminate legal hurdles for same-sex couples while a constitutional interpretation is a viable alternative, he added.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted to making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS