‘DINOSAUR JUDGES’: Having judges elected by the public would not only weed out corruption, but could also bring sentencing in line with public expectations, the group said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 21, 2018
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

The Taiwan Jury Association yesterday called for mechanisms to remove unsuitable judges and suggested that Taiwan emulate the US, where citizens elect some judges.

“Judicial elections” in the US, where voters decide, are a good way to eliminate corrupt judges and would complement the judiciary’s Judge Evaluation System, introduced in 2012 after the promulgation of the Judges Act (法官法), association chairman Chang Ching (張靜) said.

Putting the two systems into practice could oust justices that some have called “dinosaur judges,” who have issued rulings that did not meet the public’s expectations and have been perceived as handing out lenient sentences for murder and other serious crimes, Chang said.

Electing judges leads to term limits and allows the public to remove judges who have a record of misconduct, transgressions or dereliction of duty, said Chang, a former judge and former attorney.    [FULL  STORY]