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The Supreme People's Court (最高人民法院; pinyin: Zuìgāo Rénmín Fǎyuàn) is the highest court in the judicial system of the People's Republic of China. Hong Kong and Macau, as special administrative regions, has their own separated judicial systems based on British common law traditions and Portuguese civil-law traditions respectively, and are out of the jurisdiction of the Supreme People's Court.

The court includes over 200 judges which meet in smaller tribunals to decide cases.

Since March 2008, the President of the Supreme People's Court and Chief Grand Justice has been Wang Shengjun (王胜俊).

The SPC trial system consists of a four level, two-hearing system in the trial process.

History

Procedure

The main gate of the Supreme People's Court in Beijing.

In 2005, the Supreme People's Court announced its intent to "[take] back authority for death penalty approval" over concerns about “sentencing quality”,¹ and the National People's Congress officially changed the Organic Law on the People's Courts requiring all death sentences to be approved by the Supreme People's Court on 31 October, 2006.² It has been reported that since the new review process, the court has rejected 15 percent of the death sentences decided by lower courts.³

Organization

Courts of the SPC:

• criminal
• civil
• economic
• administrative trials
• other courts set up according to actual needs

There are also National Courts with ties to the SPC:

• Military Court
• Maritime Court
• Railway Transportation Court
• Forestry Court

Departments within the SPC:

• research office
• general affairs office
• personnel department
• judicial affairs department
• administrative affairs department
• office affairs bureau
• foreign affairs bureau
• education department

Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Court

1. 1949 - 1954
   • President: Shen Junru
2. 1954 - 1959: 1st National People's Congress
   • President: Dong Biwu
   • Vice Presidents: Gao Kelin, Ma Xiwu, Zhang Zhirang
3. 1959 -1965: 2nd National People's Congress
   • President: Xie Juezai
   • Vice Presidents: Wu Defeng, Wang Weigang, Zhang Zhirang
4. 1965 - 1975: 3rd National People's Congress
   • President: Yang Xiufeng
   • Vice Presidents: Tan Guansan, Wang Weigang, Zeng Hanzhou, He Lanjie, Xing Yimin, Wang Demao, Zhang Zhirang
5. 1975 - 1978: 4th National People's Congress
   • President: Jiang Hua
   • Vice Presidents: Wang Weigang, Zeng Hanzhou, He Lanjie, Zheng Shaowen
6. 1978 - 1983: 5th National People's Congress
   • President: Jiang Hua
   • Vice Presients: Zeng Hanzhou, He Lanjie, Zheng Shaowen, Song Guang, Wang Huaian, Wang Zhanping
7. 1983 - 1988: 6th National People's Congress
   • President: Zheng Tianxiang
   • Vice Presidents: Ren Jianxin, Song Guang, Wang Huaian, Wang Zhanping, Lin Huai, Zhu Mingshan, Ma Yuan
8. 1988 - 1993: 7th National People's Congress
   • President: Ren Jianxin
   • Vice Presidents: Hua Liankui, Lin Huai, Zhu Mingshan, Ma Yuan, Duan Muzheng
9. 1993 - 1998: 8th National People's Congress
   • President: Ren Jianxin
   • Vice Presidents: Zhu Mingshan, Xie Anshan, Gao Changli, Tang Dehua, Liu Jiachen, Luo Haocai, Li Guoguang, Lin Huai, Hua Liankui, Duan Muzheng, Wang Jingrong, Ma Yuan
10. 1998 - 2003: 9th National People's Congress
    • President: Xiao Yang
    • Vice Presidents: Zhu Mingshan, Li Guoguang, Jiang Xingchang, Shen Deyong, Wan Exiang, Cao Jianming, Zhang Jun, Huang Songyou, Jiang Bixin
11. 2003 - 2007: 10th National People's Congress
    • President: Xiao Yang
    • Vice Presidents: Cao Jianming, Jiang Xingchang, Shen Deyong, Wan Exiang, Huang Songyou, Su Zelin, Xi Xiaoming, Zhang Jun, Xiong Xuanguo
12. 2008 - current: 11th National People's Congress
    • President: Wang Shengjun
    • Vice Presidents:

See also

• Court system of the People's Republic of China
• Supreme People's Procuratorate - the highest legal supervisory body, charged with safeguarding the constitution, laws and people's rights.

References

1. ^ Dickie, Mure (2005-10-27). "China’s top court to review all death sentences", Financial Times. 
2. ^ "China changes law to limit death sentence", China Daily (2006-10-31). 
3. ^ Bodeen, Christopher (2008-04-10). "China Hails Reform of Death Penalty", San Francisco Chronicle. 

External links

• The Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China Official site.
• Chinacourt English website sponsored by the Supreme People's Court, with court news and legal information including biographical information for the Grand Justices.
• PRC Laws Links to English versions of the Constitution, General Principles of Civil Law, Administrative Procedure Law, Civil and Criminal Procedure Laws, and the Judges Law.
• The Supreme People's Court Court information in English, maintained at People's Daily Online.

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 12 November 2008, at 13:12.

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