Reply of the Political Department of the Supreme People's Court to Certain Questions on the Work of People's Assessors

最高人民法院政治部关于人民陪审员工作若干问题的答复

Promulgating Institution: Political Department of the Supreme People's Court

Document Number: Fa Zheng [2010] No. 11

Promulgating Date: 01/13/2010

Effective Date: 01/13/2010

颁布机关: 最高人民法院政治部

文    号: 法政[2010]11号

颁布时间: 01/13/2010

实施时间: 01/13/2010

Text

正文

To the political departments of high people's courts of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government and the political departments of the production and construction corps branches of the High People's Court of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region:

During the course of implementing the people's assessor system, some of the high people's courts have requested from the Political Department of the Supreme People's Courts for instructions on questions concerning the work of people's assessors. After discussion, we have made necessary revisions and supplements to the relevant existing provisions according to the needs of the trial work and hereby reply as follows subject to the consent of relevant departments:

Q: How does a basic people's court determines its number of people's assessors?

A: A basic people's court shall submit, for determination by the standing committee of people's congress at the same level, its opinions on the number of people's assessors that is properly larger than the number of its incumbent judges, by basing on the actual situation of the trial work in its own jurisdiction and taking into account the need of its upper-level people's court as regards to randomly selecting people's assessors from that basic people's court.

Q: Can a people's assessor base in only one trial division or collegiate panel?

A: The daily management of participation by people's assessors in trial activities shall be uniformly assumed by the specific functional department of the relevant people's court. A people's assessor shall not base in only one trial division or collegiate panel on a long-term basis. The people's assessors to participate in case trial shall be determined by way of random selection.

Q: How should random selection be carried out?

A: Each basic people's court may classify in a proper way the team members of people's assessors according to their industry background, geographic distribution and type of cases in which they participate, on which basis the court shall randomly select from the list of names of people's assessors through generating from computer or other ways.

Q: Can people's assessors independently carry out the litigation mediation work?

A: People's assessors participate in trial activities pursuant to the law and independently exercise their duties in respect to affirmation of facts and application of the law. They may also independently carry out the litigation mediation of cases in accordance with the relevant provisions of laws.

Q: What methods shall basic people's courts use to evaluate people's assessors?

A: Basic people's courts shall conduct dynamic evaluation of people's assessors in conjunction with the judicial administrative authorities of people's courts at the same level, and shall establish and improve their evaluation management system. The courts shall evaluation the assessors from the perspectives of the quantity of cases in which they have participated, rate of attendance at court, assessor capability, trial discipline, style of work in the trials, etc. By the end of each year, the court where a people's assessor holds the post shall notify that assessor and his/her employer, as well as the basic organization of the place of household registration or place of permanent residence in writing of the evaluation results, and submit the relevant evaluation information to the relevant authorities.

Q: Can a basic people's courts set up an information database on the candidates of people's assessors?

A: Basic people's courts that have the necessary conditions shall set up information database on the candidates of people's assessors so as to promptly add new people's assessors.

13 January 2010

    各省、自治区、直辖市高级人民法院政治部，新疆维吾尔自治区高级人民法院生产建设兵团分院政治部：

    在人民陪审员制度实施过程中，部分高级人民法院就人民陪审员工作的有关问题请示最高人民法院政治部。经研究，我们根据审判工作的需要，对已经制定的有关规定进行必要的修订和补充，并经有关部门同意，答复如下：

    一、基层人民法院如何确定人民陪审员名额？

    答：基层人民法院应当根据本辖区审判工作实际，结合上级人民法院从本院随机抽取人民陪审员的需要，可以适当高于本院现任法官人数提出人民陪审员名额的意见，提请同级人民代表大会常务委员会确定。

    二、人民陪审员是否可以固定在某一审判业务庭或合议庭？

    答：人民陪审员参加审判活动的日常管理工作，应由人民法院具体职能部门统一承担。人民陪审员不应当长期固定在同一审判业务庭或合议庭，参加案件陪审的人民陪审员，应当采取随机抽取的方式来确定。

    三、“随机抽取”方式应当如何实施？

    答：各基层人民法院可以根据人民陪审员的行业背景、地域分布以及陪审案件类型，将人民陪审员队伍进行适当分类，在此基础上，采取电脑生成等方式从人民陪审员名单中随机抽取确定。

    四、人民陪审员是否可以独立开展诉讼调解工作？

    答：人民陪审员依法参加审判活动，对事实认定、法律适用独立行使职权，也可以依照法律有关规定，独立对案件进行诉讼调解。

    五、基层人民法院以何种方式对人民陪审员进行考核？

    答：基层人民法院应会同同级人民政府司法行政机关对人民陪审员进行动态考核，建立健全考核管理制度，着重就陪审案件的数量、出庭率、陪审能力、审判纪律、审判作风等内容进行考核，并在每年年终前，由人民陪审员所在法院将考核结果书面通知人民陪审员本人及其所在单位、户籍所在地或者经常居住地的基层组织，并将有关考核情况报送相关机关。

    六、基层人民法院是否可以建立人民陪审员候选人员信息库？

    答：有条件的基层人民法院应建立人民陪审员候选人员信息库，以利于及时增补新的人民陪审员。

二O一O年一月十三日