Opposition lawmakers on Friday pushed through amendments to raise the threshold for adjudication by the Constitutional Court, including a revision that mandates a minimum of 10 justices to hear a case.
The amendments adopted by the Legislative Yuan were partly based on a proposal by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) at the end of September, notably the measure setting the quorum for presiding over a case at 10 justices.
However, the revisions also included additional provisions put forth on the legislative floor only on Friday by the caucuses of the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), which together hold a majority of the seats in the lawmaking body.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
One such provision stipulates that a ruling of unconstitutionality by the court — which would affect existing laws — be backed by at least nine justices.
Current rules do not specify a minimum number of justices required to hear a case.
Instead, they simply mandate the presence of at least two-thirds of all sitting justices, with a ruling determined by a simple majority vote.
The Constitutional Court normally has 15 justices, but currently only has eight because the eight-year terms of seven of the justices ended on Oct. 31.
President William Lai (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nominated new justices to replace them, but confirmation hearings were stalled until Dec. 2 by KMT and TPP lawmakers, who have argued that Lai’s picks were highly partisan, including the campaign director of Lai’s presidential campaign, Yao Li-ming (姚立明), as deputy head of the Judicial Yuan.
Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the seven nominees on Tuesday and unless they approve at least two of them, the amendments would in effect immobilize the current eight-member court.
With only eight justices, the Constitutional Court has its lowest number of justices since the introduction of judicial interpretation in 1947.
Another new measure passed on Friday states that if the number of sitting justices on the court falls below 15 due to mandatory retirement, resignation or death, the president must nominate replacements within two months.
The DPP and some civil groups have denounced the opposition’s bid to curb the Constitutional Court’s ability to rule on cases.
DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) described the amendments as “an act of retaliation” driven by recent Constitutional Court rulings to “paralyze” the court.”
She was likely referring to rulings this year that restricted the use of the death penalty in Taiwan and struck down the bulk of KMT-endorsed measures granting the Legislative Yuan broader investigative powers.
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