EDITORIAL: Court needs to be able to do its jobThe Constitutional Court on Friday last week ruled that an opposition-backed amendment to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) was unconstitutional and should be rendered void, as it was passed in an undemocratic manner and goes against the constitutional principle of separation of powers. At the same time the opposition has rejected all nominees to the court by President William Lai (賴清德), leaving the Constitutional Court with insufficient numbers after seven justices’ terms ended. The legislature’s hobbling of the Constitutional Court not only has breached the separation of powers in the Constitution, but has impaired public interests and national governance. The operation of a Constitutional Court is a core function for upholding democracy. Impeachment would also need to be approved by the Constitutional Court, which, ironically, has been crippled by the opposition.
