Local Communist Party Committees Assist Courts to Resolve Personnel, Equipment Problems (Story in Chinese)

September 20, 2004

Reporting on the interactions between the local court and the Communist Party committee in one Henan county, the Xin Jing Bao noted that every year, the local court reports on key projects to be undertaken during the year, seeking Party assistance in resolving outstanding problems. In 2002 and 2003, pursuant to court requests, the Party committee increased hiring allotments for court judicial and enforcement personnel. This year, judicial complaints led to local Party and government officials approving allocations of additional land for construction of new court buildings. Although Chinese courts are increasingly able to decide most ordinary legal cases without external political intervention, the Party continues to wield power over judicial operations, particularly personnel issues. This exercise of power reduces judicial independence by making the Chinese judiciary dependent on Party leaders for career and institutional development.