Premier Su Tseng-chang visited the New Taipei District Court on Tuesday to observe a mock trial for an upcoming new system where local citizens serve as lay judges. The Citizen Judges Act passed its third and final reading in the Legislative Yuan in July 2020, the premier said, and the system will at long last be officially implemented on January 1, 2023. The citizen judge system entails major changes to criminal trial procedures and represents an important juncture in the government's push for judicial reform. During his visit, Premier Su pledged that the Executive Yuan will do all it can to promote the system and expressed hope that citizens will also lend their support and participation once the law takes effect, thereby making progress toward the desired goals of judicial reform.
In the past, the gap between the judiciary and social expectations diminished the public's trust in judicial trials, and people therefore had high expectations for judicial reform. For this reason, President Tsai Ing-wen vigorously promoted judicial reform after taking office. She also convened the National Conference on Judicial Reform and facilitated follow-up legislative work of the Citizen Judges Act. Premier Su said the process was arduous but thankfully all those involved labored together and pushed it through.