The Legislative Yuan today rejected all seven grand justice nominees for the Constitutional Court, marking the second time lawmakers have rejected President William Lai’s (賴清德) picks.
Due to the combined majority held by the opposition parties, no nominee was able to pass the threshold of 57 votes to secure approval.
In the 113-seat legislature, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) holds a majority of 54 seats together with two independent lawmakers, while the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has eight seats.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has 51 seats.
The KMT and TPP caucuses both vowed to reject all the nominees ahead of the vote.
Grand justices should be the last line of defense of the judiciary, KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) told reporters before the session.
After Lai took office, grand justices have superseded the legislature and made rulings that went against standard practices in all developed countries in the world, Fu said.
Some KMT lawmakers had reportedly considered approving one nominee, but decided not to out of concern that they would “listen to the DPP.”
DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) called the opposition parties’ decision a “political maneuver.”
The delay in confirming the appointment of grand justices has made it difficult for the Constitution Court to operate normally, Wu said.
The KMT and the TPP should clearly state their reasons if they oppose the nominations, Wu said.
The nominees were selected by Lai on March 21.
They include High Prosecutors’ Office chief prosecutor Tsai Chiu-ming (蔡秋明) and Supreme Court judge Su Su-e (蘇素娥), who were nominated as president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan respectively, as well as grand justices.
Other nominees include Supreme Court judge Cheng Chun-hui (鄭純惠), 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).
Currently, only eight justices preside over the 15-seat court, after seven completed their terms at the end of October last year.
Justice Shieh Ming-yan (謝銘洋) is serving as the court's president.
Additional reporting by Liu Wan-lin
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS