TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Around 2,000 protestors, including 153 lawyers, protested an amendment by KMT legislators to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act on Saturday (Nov. 16). 

Protestors asserted the amendments would paralyze the Constitutional Court and affect citizens' rights. Event organizer and lawyer Jacob Lin (林俊宏) said the amendment would make it difficult for justices to rule on Constitutional Court cases and restrict the public's access to legal remediation, per CNA.

Lin said the amendment is an example of “bad legislation that seeks to undermine the constitution and disrupt the government, rather than protect citizen rights."

KMT legislators proposed requiring 10 justices to preside over a Constitutional Court, with a ruling requiring the support of at least two-thirds of 15 justices (10 votes). Currently, two-thirds of incumbent justices must be present, with a simple majority vote required for a ruling.

Lawyers joining the protest said they could not let a third reading of the amendment damage Taiwan's democracy and rule of law. Participants believed their actions would protect human rights, social justice, and the rule of law. 

Lawyers were joined by a large crowd of supporters on Taipei City’s Xiangyang Street. They shouted slogans to protect the rights and interests of citizens and a separation of powers.

The main sponsor of the bill, KMT Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲), dismissed the marchers as supporters of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德). Weng said the lawyers participating in the protest do not represent Taiwan’s more than 20,000 lawyers. 

Lin said the number of lawyers in Taiwan is 12,000, though the number of practicing lawyers is around 8,000. Lin also rebutted Weng’s claim that the lawyers in the protest were a pro-Lai faction, and he said they were truly concerned about protecting Taiwan’s constitution.

Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) spoke publicly before the protest on Friday (Nov. 15). He said there should be a required minimum number of justices present when ruling a law unconstitutional. 

In response to Huang’s call for a minimum threshold for the number of justices, Lin said that other countries have enacted supporting mechanisms to prevent paralysis of the Constitutional Court. Lin gave the example of Germany, where when not enough justices are present, outgoing justices can temporarily stay in office to ensure the Constitutional Court can operate.

Lin said the KMT’s amendment had no such provisions, as he called upon supporting measures to protect the people. Lin further alleged that an would paralyze the Constitutional Court and damage the citizen's rights.

Lin urged ruling and opposition legislators to reject the amendment. Furthermore, he called for all legislators to abstain from promoting bills that undermine the Constitution and disrupt government functioning.