TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Judicial Yuan vice presidential nominee Su Su-o (蘇素娥) was questioned by lawmakers Wednesday, pledging to uphold judicial independence, enhance professionalism within the judiciary, and address issues of overwork if confirmed.
Su laid out her vision for a more efficient and impartial judiciary, citing the public’s top concerns as fairness and independence, per UDN. She emphasized the need to continue promoting the citizen judge system and reviewing judicial personnel to remove unfit members.
Su also proposed reforms to unify legal interpretations and sentencing to reduce inconsistency, and she called for increased staffing, use of technology, and promotion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to alleviate systemic overwork, per CNA.
Su was questioned by KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) over her donation to the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, per CNA. Su explained that she contributed at the request of a friend but maintained that, as a judge, she bases her rulings solely on evidence and law, citing her past death penalty rulings.
Wang pressed further on Su’s views regarding a KMT proposal to increase penalties for child abuse resulting in death, per UDN. Su deferred to legislative discretion but warned against inconsistencies in sentencing for similar crimes.
The nominee also faced questions on pretrial detention and bail disparities, with Su responding that each case must be judged individually while acknowledging the need for better public communication on controversial rulings.
DPP legislative caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) remarked, during an interview in June, that if KMT legislators survive ongoing recall campaigns, they could face charges under the Offenses Against the Internal Security of the State, a law historically abused during the White Terror era, per Newtalk. The comment prompted KMT lawmaker Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) to question Su about the appropriateness of invoking such legislation, per UP Media.
Su emphasized that "thought crimes" should not be punished and stressed that judicial decisions must be based on individuals’ actions, not their intentions, even if someone claims to want to overthrow the government.
Wu also raised concerns about arrests stemming from online discussions involving Control Yuan President Chen Chu (陳菊). Su emphasized the importance of protecting freedom of speech in a democratic society.
DPP lawmaker Lin Yueh-chin (林月琴) questioned Su about the current paralysis of the Constitutional Court due to a lack of justices, warning of a potential constitutional crisis, per CNA. Su acknowledged the issue and supported efforts to resolve it.
On the recent law requiring livestreaming of court proceedings, she pledged the Judicial Yuan's full cooperation while addressing concerns raised by legislators.
Su also came under fire from TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啟凱), who questioned her past failure to comply with financial disclosure requirements and criticized her responses to the TPP’s nominee questionnaire, per SETN. Chang accused Su of submitting the form late, misquoting her own legal achievements, and offering evasive answers to key questions, particularly those concerning prosecutorial conduct and interrogation practices.
In response, Su acknowledged the errors and explained that the disclosure process was previously done manually, per ETtoday. She noted that she had paid the related fine and has since opted into the digital disclosure system to ensure full transparency.
Su admitted to a typographical error in referencing the Code of Criminal Procedure and apologized for the mistake. She added that although she is not perfect, her professionalism and experience as a judge should be taken into account.
