Local judicial administrations have compiled lists containing the names of 131,990 people in total who qualify as citizen judges to preside over cases from next year, Judicial Yuan Disciplinary Court Head Judge Peng Hsing-ming (彭幸鳴) said on Thursday as the judicial system is preparing for a far-reaching update to its proceedings.
Six citizen judges are from Jan. 1 to join three professional judges presiding over criminal trials, she said.
In the first stage of implementation, panels with citizen judges would only preside over major criminal cases, such as homicides, Peng said.
Photo: Chang Wen-chuan, Taipei Times
Based on the lists, local courts would conduct further screenings of candidates, and those who qualify would be notified by mail by the end of this year, she said.
Vetting would be thorough to ensure that the process is fair, she said.
People selected as judges can direct their questions to dedicated officials at local courts, she added.
As there has been rumor that criminals are planning to send fake notifications, people who receive suspicious mail should call the 165 anti-fraud hotline, she said.
“The official notification will come with an instruction booklet,” Peng said.
The documents would feature a simple and direct presentation, and be visually appealing, easy to understand and user-friendly, she said, adding that the government hopes that the design would help increase people’s willingness to participate in the new system.
”The documents will explain the process. They will also contain a survey and a registration form” to explain the new citizen judge system, she said.
Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Lin Huei-huang (林輝煌) said: “It is a privilege and a duty for people to serve as citizen judges.”
The citizen judges and their professional peers would work as a team on the newly designed panels, Lin added.
The panels would carefully deliberate cases before voting whether the defendant should be found guilty, Lin said.
The panel would also decide on the kind and length of punishment, he said.
”Citizen judges will not be left alone … and decisions will be made collectively, while each judge will have the right to independently make their decision” he added.
The new panel composition is based on the Citizen Judges Act (國民法官法), which is to take effect on Jan. 1.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers