August 18, 2003

Guest:            Honorable Jyun-Hsiung Su, Grand Justice, Constitutional Court, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC

At the request of Michael Tsai, Deputy Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, a meeting was arranged with Judicial Watch and the Grand Justice Jyun-Hsiung Su and his wife.  The Grand Justice wished to “exchange views on the U.S. judicial nomination process and congressional confirmation process.”

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of China is similar in judicial hierarchy as the United States Supreme Court, and the Grand Justice in China has the same stature as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Significant differences were found in the election process of judicial nominees, their educational track in preparation for election to the bench and “safeguards” against judicial activism, such as the recent amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of China which shortened the terms of service of the justices and disallowed reappointment to the bench by the President.