Taipei: Senior prosecutor Tsai Chiu-ming, nominated by President Lai Ching-te to lead Taiwan’s highest judicial body, the Judicial Yuan, stated Wednesday that his top priority, if confirmed, would be to address the shortage of judges and widespread overwork. Speaking at a confirmation hearing at the Legislature, Tsai emphasized that one of the most pressing challenges facing Taiwan’s judicial system is the shortage of judges, which contributes to the heavy caseloads borne by those currently on the bench.
According to Focus Taiwan, Tsai addressed questions from ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Lin Dai-hua about how he would tackle these issues. He proposed relaxing regulations under the Court Organization Act and increasing the staffing quota for judges. Judicial Yuan data showed there were 2,199 judges as of 2024, including eight justices on the Constitutional Court, with the rest serving in the Supreme Court, lower courts, and other specialized courts. In 2024, approximately 4.4 million cases were filed in the courts, with 91.6 percent being newly lodged cases.
Tsai also plans to reduce judges’ paperwork burdens and retain more support staff by raising their salaries. He intends to decriminalize certain minor offenses, broaden complaint-based prosecutions, and promote out-of-court dispute resolution mechanisms to reduce the number of cases entering the judicial system.
During the hearing, Tsai struggled to address broader issues like ineffective evaluation mechanisms and corruption. Opposition legislators, such as Lai Shyh-bao from the Kuomintang (KMT), expressed concerns over Tsai’s qualifications, noting his experience is primarily in prosecutorial affairs. Tsai, who has served as a prosecutor for 29 years, admitted he is less familiar with the judiciary’s day-to-day operations.
Tsai’s nomination as both a justice and the president of the Judicial Yuan, which oversees the Constitutional Court, was made by Lai in late March. The Constitutional Court has been operating with nearly half of its normal panel of 15 justices since seven justices’ terms ended in October 2024. Opposition legislators rejected all of Lai’s nominees to fill the vacancies in December 2024. Alongside Tsai, Lai nominated six other justices, including two Supreme Court judges, a senior prosecutor, and three legal scholars, to fill the Constitutional Court openings. With only eight judges, the Constitutional Court cannot hear cases due to a 10-justice minimum requirement.
President Lai expressed hope that the nominees would strengthen professional capacity in national security cases. However, Tsai clarified in response to KMT legislator Wang Yu-min’s question that national security issues do not fall under the purview of justices, though he shares concerns about national security as a Taiwanese citizen.
Tsai, 69, holds a bachelor’s degree in law from National Taiwan University and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Washington in the United States. If confirmed by the Legislature on July 25, he will become the first prosecutor to head the Judicial Yuan.