2023.09.08

Background
    The International Association of Judges (IAJ) is a professional, non-political, international organization of national associations of judges. It also holds consultant status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Since IAJ’s establishment in Salzburg in 1953, it has set up 4 regional groups (The European Association of Judges, The African Group, The Iberoamerican Group, and The Asian, North American and Oceanian Group) and has 94 national associations or representative group members. The main objective of the IAJ is to safeguard the independence of the judicial authority, which is an essential requirement for the guarantee of human rights and freedom. The IAJ is also dedicated to facilitating exchanges between judiciaries worldwide and improving their understanding of each other’s judicial practice. 
    The Judges Association of the ROC (Taiwan) joined the IAJ as a formal member in 1955. It is now one of the 15 members of the Asian, North American and Oceania Regional Group (A.N.A.O) of the IAJ. 

The 65th Annual Meeting and the 70th Anniversary of the IAJ
    This year, The Judges Association of the ROC (Taiwan) will be hosting the 65th Annual Meeting and the 70th Anniversary of the IAJ in Taipei, Taiwan. This is the second time the annual meeting be held in Taiwan since 1999. The annual meeting will take place from September 16 to 21, during which the Taiwan Constitutional Court (TCC) and the Judges Association of the ROC (Taiwan) will co-host a Constitutional Law Forum as one of the sessions of the annual IAJ meeting to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the IAJ on September 18. 

The Constitutional Law Forum

    The Constitutional Law Forum is under the theme of “Judicial Independence and Constitutionalism”. The TCC and the Judges Association of ROC (Taiwan) invite all participants to discuss, from the perspective of Constitutionalism, the following topics: (1) Judicial Independence from Other State Powers; (2) Judicial Independence from Judicial Administration; (3) Judicial Independence from Social Pressure; and (4) Judicial Independence and Freedom of Expression. 
    This Forum is also meant to promote interactions between Taiwanese judiciaries and judiciaries worldwide and demonstrate Taiwan’s liberal democracy and ideal for judicial independence. Chief Justice Dr. Tzong-Li HSU and Justice Jau-Yuan HWANG of the TCC will also be attending the Forum and engaging in dialogues with distinguished guests worldwide. 

Forum Speakers 
    Constitutional Law Forum speakers and their topics are as follows: 

• Lord Carloway (Lord President of the Court of Session), in the speech titled “The Relationship between Judicial Independence and Judicial Participation in Policy and Law-Making”, will be sharing his insights on the relationship between judicial independence, policy and law-making. 
   
• The Hon. Dame Susan Glazebrook (Justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, Immediate Past President (ex officio) of the International Association of Women Judges), in the speech titled “Peeking Beneath the Blindfold: Responsive to Society or Caving to Pressure?”, will be sharing New Zealand’s practice in implementing constructive engagements between the judiciary and the community. 
   
• Hon. Dr. Jau-Yuan HWANG (Justice of the Taiwan Constitutional Court), in the speech titled “Hard Cases before the Constitutional Court: Balance between Leading and Following the Majority”, will elaborate on how the Taiwan Constitutional Court strikes a delicate balance between judicial independence and democratic ideals through its decisions. 
   
• Professor Dr. Dainius Žalimas (Former President of the Constitutional Court of Lithuania and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Vytautas Magnus University), in the speech titled “Constitutional Justice and Society's Reaction: tension or reinforcement?”, will be speaking about how the Constitutional Court of Lithuania enhances public trust and develop their official constitutional doctrines to maintain judicial independence. 
   
• President José Igreja Matos (President of the IAJ), under the titled “Freedom of Expression of Judges Walking on the Line", will be speaking about the importance of the freedom of speech of judges amid the expansion of autocratic regime and the rise of social media. 
   
• Hon. Allyson K. Duncan (US Circuit Court Judge (ret.) and Vice President of the IAJ), under the speech titled “International Threats to the Rule of Law”, will be talking about the changing nature of threats to judicial independence brought globally by the pandemic, populism, and the loss of faith in the judiciary. 
   
• Judge Professor Dr. Krystian Markiewicz (President of the Polish Judges Association Iustitia), in the speech titled “The Constitutional Court—an Independent Tribunal or a Political Body”, will be talking about the role of Constitutional Courts and raising awareness about the crisis of politicization of Constitutional Courts. 
   
• Mr. Ilwon Kang (Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of Korea), in the speech titled “Strengthening Judicial Independence in Korea”, will be sharing the development of constitutionalism and the efforts to strengthen judicial Independence in Korea.