Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T10:32:10.071Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Of Judge Quota and Judicial Autonomy: An Enduring Professionalization Project in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2022

Ying Sun  and
Hualing Fu
Ying Sun*
Affiliation:
School of Law, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Hualing Fu
Affiliation:
School of Law, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Email: hlfu@hku.hk.
*
Email: suny8@mail.sysu.edu.cn (corresponding author).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article presents the findings of original research on “judge quota” reform. The reform's agenda was essentially aimed at professionalization: by edging out a given percentage of judges, only the better qualified judges would be re-appointed to create a more professionalized judiciary. A key component of the reform was to reduce the level and the intensity of both political and bureaucratic control over judges in adjudication and to decentralize judicial power to the rank-and-file judges, restoring individualized judging while enhancing judicial accountability. This article critically examines the potential and limits of the judge quota reform in the context of incremental legal reform in a party-state.

摘要

摘要

本文是关于法官员额制改革的原创性研究。员额制改革的本质是推进司法职业化。一定比例的法官被淘汰，通过考试考核者才被选任为员额法官，从而使审判职能与行政职能的岗位职责分工更加明确。员额制改革的关键一环是减轻法官在审理案件过程中所受到的来自政治和官僚的控制和干扰，将审判权下放给主审法官，在法院内部去行政化的同时加强司法责任制。本文探讨了中国共产党领导的渐进式法治进程的大背景下法官员额制改革的潜力和限度。

Keywords

judicial reformquota judgelegalityjudicial autonomyprofessionalismChina司法改革员额法官合法性裁判自主职业化中国
Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 251 , September 2022 , pp. 866 - 887
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

An, Keming, and Jin, Jing. 2015. “Guizhou fayuan sifa gaige shidian gongzuo diaocha zhiyi” (Research on Guizhou court pilot judicial reform). Renmin fayuan bao, 27 July.Google Scholar
Ang, Lance, and Wang, Jiangyu. 2019. “Judicial independence in dominant party states: Singapore's possibilities for China.” Asian Journal of Comparative Law 14(2), 337–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biddulph, Sarah. 2015. The Stability Imperative: Human Rights and Law in China. Vancouver: UBC Press.Google Scholar
Chang, Wen-Chen, and Law, David S.. 2018. “Constitutional dissonance in China.” In Jacobsohn, Gary and Schor, Miguel (eds.), Comparative Constitutional Theory. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 476–513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, H.Y. Albert. 2016. “China's long march towards rule of law or China's turn against law?” Chinese Journal of Comparative Law 4, 1–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, Jiesheng. 2015. “Yue chengli faguan jianchaguan linxuan weiyuanhui” (Guangdong established a judge and prosecutor selection committee). Nanfang ribao, 13 October.Google Scholar
Chen, Ruihua. 2018. “Faguan yuanezhi gaige de lilun fansi” (Reflection in the theories of judge quota reform). Faxuejia 3, 1–15.Google Scholar
Clarke, Donald C. 2020. “Order and law in China.” GWU Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2020-52, https://ssrn.com/abstract=3682794.Google Scholar
CPLC (Central Political and Legal Committee). 2014. “Guanyu sifa tizhi gaige shidian zhong youguan wenti de yijian” (Opinions on related issues of the judicial system pilot reform), December.Google Scholar
CPLC. 2015. “Sifa jiguan neibu renyuan guowen anjian de jilu he zeren zhuijiu guiding” (Regulations regarding the staff of the judiciary asking about specific cases), March, https://www.chinacourt.org/article/detail/2015/03/id/1576081.shtml.Google Scholar
Finder, Susan. 2021a. “New Supreme People's Court guidance on how Chinese judges consider cases.” Supreme People's Court Monitor, 19 January, https://supremepeoplescourtmonitor.com/2021/01/19/new-supreme-peoples-court-guidance-on-how-chinese-judges-consider-cases/. Accessed 5 March 2021.Google Scholar
Finder, Susan. 2021b. “The long march to professionalizing judicial discipline in China.” In Devlin, Richard and Wildeman, Sheila (eds.), Disciplining Judges: Contemporary Challenges and Controversies. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing, 78–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fu, Hualing. 2011. “Challenging authoritarianism through law: potential and limits.” National Taiwan University Law Review 6, 339–365.Google Scholar
Fu, Hualing. 2014. “Mediation and the rule of law: the Chinese landscape.” In Zekoll, Joachim, Balz, Moritz and Amelung, Iwo (eds.), Formalization and Flexibilisation in Dispute Resolution. Leiden: Brill, 108–129.Google Scholar
Fu, Hualing, and Cullen, Richard. 2012. “From mediatory to adjudicatory justice: the limits of civil justice reform in China.” In Woo, Margaret Y.K. and Gallagher, Mary E. (eds.), Chinese Justice: Civil Dispute Resolution in Contemporary China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 25–57.Google Scholar
Gallagher, Mary E. 2017. Authoritarian Legality in China: Law, Workers, and the State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GOCCPCC (General Office of Chinese Communist Party Central Committee) and State Council. 2015. “Lingdao ganbu ganyu sifa huodong, chashou juti anjian chuli de jilu, tongbao he zeren zhuijiu guiding” (Regulations on officials’ behaviour and wielding influence over judicial activities and meddling with specific cases), March, http://www.gov.cn/guowuyuan/2015-03/30/content_2840521.htm.Google Scholar
Guangdong HPC (High People's Court) Research Team. 2013. “Guanyu renmin fayuan renyuan fenlei guanli gaige de diaoyan baogao” (Research report on separate personnel management in the people's court), June.Google Scholar
He, Fan. 2014. “Zuohao faguan yuanezhi de jiajianfa” (Addition and subtraction of judge quotas). Renmin fayuan bao, 17 July.Google Scholar
He, Xin. 2020. “Pressures on Chinese judges under Xi.” The China Journal 85, 49–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hou, Meng. 2019. “Cong gongwu yuanfa kan faguanfa xiugai: yi faguan guanli zhidu wei zhuxian.” (From Civil Servant Law to Judge Law with a focus on the management system for judges). Aisixiang, 16 September, http://www.aisixiang.com/data/118201-2.html. Accessed 16 May 2020.Google Scholar
Hu, Changming. 2015. “Zhongguo faguan zhiye manyidu kaocha” (Survey on the professional satisfaction of Chinese judges). Zhongguo falü pinglun 4, 194–206.Google Scholar
Lin, Yan, and Ginsburg, Tom. 2015. “Constitutional interpretation in lawmaking: China's invisible constitutional enforcement mechanism.” The American Journal of Comparative Law 63, 467–492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, Guannan, Qi, Lei and Zhao, Yang. 2016. “Jiemi Guangdong faguan jianchaguan ru'e kaoshi” (Revealing the secret of Guangdong entry examination for quota judges and prosecutors). Nanfang ribao, 29 May.Google Scholar
Mao, Yizhu, and Zhou, Ying. 2016. “Guangzhou shoupi yuan'e faguan jiti xuanshi zhongyu xianfa zhongyu renmin” (Guangzhou's first batch of quota judges pledged eternal loyalty to Constitution and people). Xinhuanet, 1 October, http://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2016-10-01/doc-ifxwkvys2499219.shtml. Accessed 14 September 2018.Google Scholar
Minzner, Carl F. 2011. “China's turn against law.” American Journal of Comparative Law 59, 935–984.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minzner, Carl F. 2018. End of an Era: How China's Authoritarian Revival Is Undermining Its Rise. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Moustafa, Tamir. 2014. “Law and courts in authoritarian regimes.” Annual Review of Law and Social Science 10, 281–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peerenboom, Randall. 2002. China's Long March toward Rule of Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qi, Lei. 2017. “197 ming niren faguan renxuan queren” (197 candidates for quota judges are confirmed). Nanfang ribao, 28 November.Google Scholar
Shen, Nianzu, and He, Yunhuan. 2015. “Faguan yuanezhi gaige, youxie faguan yaozhai maozi” (Court quota reform, some judges may lose their judgeship). Jingji guancha bao, 19 April.Google Scholar
Shenzhen Municipal Committee of CCP (Chinese Communist Party). 2014. “Shenzhenshi fayuan gongzuo renyuan fenlei guanli he faguan zhiyehua gaigefang'an” (Shenzhen Court reform plan for the classification of court staff and the professionalism of judges), February, http://www.sz.gov.cn/zfgb/2014/gb882/content/mpost_4978649.html.Google Scholar
Solomon, Peter H. 2007. “Courts and judges in authoritarian regimes.” World Politics 60, 122–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Song, Yuansheng. 2017. “Jingyinghua yu zhuanyehua de mishi – faguan yuanezhi de kunjing yu chulu” (The loss of elitism and specialization – dilemma and outlet of the judge's post system). Zhengfa luntan 2, 101–117.Google Scholar
SPC (Supreme People's Court). 2017. “Zuigao renmin fayuan guanyu jiaqiang geji renmin fayuan yuantingzhang banli anjian gongzuo de yijian” (Supreme People's Court's opinion on strengthening presidents and tribunal directors’ work on personally dealing with cases), April, http://www.law-lib.com/law/law_view.asp?id=564311.Google Scholar
Su, Yang, and He, Xin. 2010. “Street as courtroom: state accommodation of labor protests in south China.” Law and Society Review 44(1), 157–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Yijun. 2017. “Zuigaofa shoupi 367 ming faguan xuanshi” (The first batch of quota judges in the Supreme People's Court took oath). Sina.com.cn, 3 July, http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2017-07-03/doc-ifyhryex5916899.shtml. Accessed 14 September 2018.Google Scholar
Wang, Yueduan. 2020. “The more authoritarian, the more judicial independence? The paradox of court reforms in Russia and China.” University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law 22, 529–560.Google Scholar
Wang, Yueduan. 2021. “‘Detaching’ courts from local politics? Assessing judicial centralization reforms in China.” The China Quarterly 246, 545–564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xiao, Yang. 2002. “Zai quanguo fayuan duiwu jianshe gongzuo huiyi shangde jianghua” (Speech at the national conference on court personnel construction project). Gongbao.court.gov.cn, 5 July, http://gongbao.court.gov.cn/Details/347f4f78268b21ddbd120512b52628.html. Accessed 16 September 2019.Google Scholar
Yu, Xingzhong. 2011. “Judicial professionalism in China: from discourse to reality.” In Alford, William P., Winston, Kenneth and Kirby, William (eds.), Prospects for the Professions in China. Abingdon: Routledge, 78–108.Google Scholar
Zhang, Jian, and Jiang, Jinliang. 2016. “Tongzhi yu jiangou: zuowei fansi faguan yuanezhi de qierudian – jiyu J shi jiceng renmin fayuan anjian jiegou yu faguan gongzuoliang de shizheng yanjiu” (Homogeneity and construction: reflection on judge quota reform – an empirical study based on the structure of cases and the judge's workload in the basic people's courts in J city). Shangdong shehui kexue 8, 124–130.Google Scholar
Zhang, Taisu, and Ginsburg, Tom. 2019. “Legality in contemporary Chinese politics.” Virginia Journal of International Law 5, 307–390.Google Scholar
Zhou, Qiang. 2018. “Zuigao renmin fayuan zhongzuo baogao” (Supreme People's Court Work Report). Xinhuanet.com, 9 March, http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2018lh/2018-03/25/c_1122587194.htm. Accessed 16 September 2018.Google Scholar
Zuo, Weimin. 2020. “Yuan faguan linxuan jizhi gaige shizheng yanjiu: yi sheng wei yangban” (An empirical study on the reform of the quota judge selection mechanism: taking a province as a model). Zhongguo faxue 4, 261–282.Google Scholar