Judicial Commission of Indonesia

Last updated

Insignia of the Judicial Commission of Indonesia Insignia of the Judicial Commission of the Republic of Indonesia.svg
Insignia of the Judicial Commission of Indonesia

The Judicial Commission of Indonesia (Indonesian : Komisi Yudisial) was established as a consequence of the third amendment to the Constitution of Indonesia ratified by the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly on 9 November 2001. [1] The Commission's duty is to monitor the performance of judges, advise the House of Representatives on judicial appointments and review community complaints about the behavior and fairness of presiding judges. [2]

Contents

History

The idea of a body to consider and give a final ruling on the appointment, promotion, transfer or dismissal of judges first arose in 1968 but failed to make the statute books. Pressure for the establishment of a body to bring about an honest, clean, transparent and professional legal system resurfaced in 1998 after president Soeharto resigned from office. On 9 November 2001, during its annual session, the People's Consultative Assembly passed the third amendment to the Constitution of Indonesia, mandating the establishment of a Judicial Commission. The proposal to establish the Judicial Commission was added into the amendment at the last minute and, in the view of some observers, the Commission was established in a hasty way. [3] On 13 August 2004, Law No. 22 on the Judicial Commission was promulgated and on 2 July 2005, the president officially appointed the seven members of the Commission. The members were sworn in by the president on 2 August 2005. [4] [5]

Since its inception in 2005, most of the Commission's recommendations have been ignored by the Supreme Court. This has led the English-language publication the Jakarta Post to describe the Supreme Court as resistant to reform. [6]

Powers

The commission works to "maintain the honor, dignity and behavior of judges" and formerly held the power to propose candidates for the Supreme Court. Members are appointed by the president with the agreement of the House of Representatives. [7] The precise authority of the Judicial Commission, however, was not agreed upon by the different branches of the legal system in Indonesia. [8] It was reported in mid-2011, for example, that since its establishment in 2005 the Judicial Commission had summoned nine justices to be investigated for alleged ethics violations but that none had answered the summonses. Members of other branches of the legal system, such as Supreme Court judges, were reported to have taken the view that the Judicial Commission was exceeding its powers in attempting to summon judges in certain cases. [9]

The Commission suffered a major blow to its authority when the Constitutional Court in August 2006 granted a request filed by 31 judges of the Supreme Court to drop activities that gave the Commission the power to investigate alleged violations by Supreme Court and Constitutional Court justices. Following that decision of the Constitutional Court, it was agreed that the powers of the Judicial Commission needed to be clarified. Most recently, during 2011, the Indonesian House of Representatives had under consideration a revision to the 2004 Judicial Commission Law which would strengthen the powers of the Judicial Commission to directly punish high court and district court judges. Under the proposed changes to the law, however, the authority to punish Supreme Court justices would remain with the Supreme Court. [10]

In 2015, the Commission suffered a major blow to its powers when the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of a judicial review filed by the Indonesian Judges Association. The review alleged that selection of candidates for the bench was out of the Commission's purview, which only includes monitoring the performance of already serving judges. [11]

Members

The Judicial Commission consists of seven members drawn from former judges, legal practitioners, legal academics and community members. [2]

The current members for the Commission's 2020–2025 session are:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Indonesia</span> Political system of Indonesia

The politics of Indonesia take place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic whereby the President of Indonesia is both head of state and head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the bicameral People's Consultative Assembly. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Indonesia</span> National government of Indonesia

The term Government of the Republic of Indonesia can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. The term is also used colloquially to mean the executive and legislature together, as these are the branches of government responsible for day-to-day governance of the nation and lawmaking. At its narrowest, the term is used to refer to the executive branch in form of the Cabinet of Indonesia as this is the branch of government responsible for day-to-day governance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Indonesia</span> National constitution

The 1945 State Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia is the supreme law and basis for all laws of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Indonesia</span> Independent judicial arm of the state of Indonesia

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia is the independent judicial arm of the state. It maintains a system of courts and sits above the other courts and is the final court of appeal. It can also re-examine cases if new evidence emerges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of Indonesia</span> Judicial system in Indonesia

The Judiciary of Indonesia constitutionally consists of the Supreme Court of Indonesia, the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, and the lesser court system under the Supreme Court. These lesser courts are categorically subdivided into the public courts, religious courts, state administrative courts, and military courts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitutional Court of Indonesia</span>

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia is one of the apex courts in Indonesia along with the Indonesian Supreme Court. Its primary role is reviewing the constitutionality of Acts (undang-undang). It also has other functions, including resolving disputes over the powers of state institutions, settling disputes over the results of general elections, deciding on the dissolution of political parties, and supervising impeachment. The last two functions have never been exercised by the Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrialis Akbar</span> Indonesian lawyer and politician

Patrialis Akbar is an advocate and politician who was member of the Constitutional Court Justice of the Indonesian Constitutional Court for the period 2013–2017 from Padang, West Sumatra. He has a complete career in three branches of state, legislative, executive and judicial power. He had served as a member of the House of Representatives for two periods.

Harjono is a former judge of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. He has remained vocal on judicial affairs in Indonesia even after his retirement, expressing support for public humiliation as a punishment for people convicted of graft. In 2016, he also appeared before the Constitutional Court again to testify in favor Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama's case for the right of incumbent politicians to not take leaves of absence during campaign seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Farida Indrati</span>

Maria Farida Indrati is a former justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia for two terms. During her both terms, she was the only woman among the Court's nine members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirjono Prodjodikoro</span> Chief Justice of the Indonesian Supreme Court

Wirjono Prodjodikoro was the head justice of the Indonesian Supreme Court from 1952 to 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahardjo</span> Indonesian politician (1909–1963)

Dr. Sahardjo LL.B., was a National Hero and Minister of Justice of Indonesia during the First, Second, and Third Working Cabinets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Judicial Appointments Commission</span> Failed proposal for an Indian legal body

The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) was a proposed body which would have been responsible for the recruitment, appointment and transfer of judicial officers, legal officers and legal employees under the government of India and in all state governments of India. The commission was established by amending the Constitution of India through the 99th constitution amendment with the Constitution (Ninety-Ninth Amendment) Act, 2014 or 99th Constitutional Amendment Act-2014 passed by the Lok Sabha on 13 August 2014 and by the Rajya Sabha on 14 August 2014. The NJAC would have replaced the collegium system for the appointment of judges as invoked by the Supreme court via judicial fiat by a new system. Along with the Constitution Amendment Act, the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014, was also passed by the Parliament of India to regulate the functions of the National Judicial Appointments Commission. The NJAC Bill and the Constitutional Amendment Bill, was ratified by 16 of the state legislatures in India, and subsequently assented by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 31 December 2014. The NJAC Act and the Constitutional Amendment Act came into force from 13 April 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Indonesia</span>

The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Indonesia is the head of the Supreme Court of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia</span>

The chief justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia is the head of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia.

Arief Hidayat was the fifth Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. Previously, he was a professor of law at his alma mater, Diponegoro University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahiduddin Adams</span> Indonesian Constitutional Court justice

Wahiduddin Adams is currently a justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. He and Aswanto were appointed to the court by the People's Representative Council in March 2014. Adams formerly served as Director General of Legislation at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.

Ahmad Fadlil Sumadi is a former judge on the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. Sumadi initially served as the registrar of the Constitutional Court between 2003 and 2008, then served as the deputy chief justice of the High Court of Yogyakarta before the Supreme Court of Indonesia appointed him to the Constitutional Court in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suhartoyo</span> Indonesian chief justice (born 1959)

Suhartoyo is currently the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, a position that he has held since November 2023. He ascended to the leadership of the Court following the demotion of Anwar Usman after the Court's Honorary Council found that he had committed ethical violations, which cleared the way for President Joko Widodo’s eldest son to run for vice president in 2024.

The Indonesian Judges Association, known locally as Ikatan Hakim Indonesia or IKAHI is an association of judicial officials in Indonesia. IKAHI's members include first-level trial judges and senior justices, as opposed to the Indonesian Judges' Forum (FDHI) which includes appeals court judges. IKAHI executive Suhadi has described the association's focus as protection of judges from threats and harassment, though judicial transparency activists have disputed this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Dewa Gede Palguna</span>

I Dewa Gede Palguna is a constitutional law academic who served two terms as a justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. He holds the record for having been the youngest ever justice of the Indonesian Constitutional Court. In February 2020, he was appointed to the ethics council of Indonesia's Child Protection Commission.

References

Notes

  1. Denny Indrayana (2008), pp. 241, 266
  2. 1 2 Simon Butt, The Constitutional Court's Decision. Taken from Indonesia: Democracy and the Promise of Good Governance, pg. 186. Eds. Ross H McLeod and Andrew Macintyre. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2007. ISBN   9789812304599
  3. Sebastiaan Pompe, 'The Judge S case why court oversight fails', The Jakarta Post, 13 June 2011.
  4. Denny Indrayana (2008), pp. 241
  5. Judicial Commission Website:Sejarah Pembentukan Komisi Yudisial (History of the Establishment of the Judicial Commission) access date 17 May 2009
  6. Ina Parlina, Hope for effective judicial oversight pinned on new bill. Jakarta Post, 1 October 2016. Accessed 27 November 2016.
  7. Denny Indrayana (2008), p267. For a report on the process of the selection of six new judges to the Supreme Court in 2011, see Ina Parlina, 'KY recommends 18 'quality' justice candidates to House' Archived 12 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine , The Jakarta Post, 2 August 2011.
  8. See the useful discussion in Sebastiaan Pompe, op.cit.
  9. Ina Parlina, 'Judicial Commission finds justices an elusive lot', The Jakarta Post, 16 July 2011.
  10. Bagus BT Saragih and Ina Parlina, 'Debate on sanctions for judges stalls KY law enactment', The Jakarta Post, 21 July 2011.
  11. Ina Parlina, Court ruling weakens Judicial Commission. Jakarta Post, 8 October 2015. Accessed 30 October 2016.