Justice - Justiz - Giustizia

Lay participation in the judiciary in China and Switzerland

A comparative perspective

  • Auteur-e: Cyrill A. H. Chevalley
  • Catégories d'articles: Forum
  • DOI: 10.38023/bbebbd8c-6963-4651-9b87-197a56376ee6
  • Proposition de citation: Cyrill A. H. Chevalley, Lay participation in the judiciary in China and Switzerland, in : «Justice - Justiz - Giustizia» 2023/2
In the last years, lay participation in the judiciary has come under increasing pressure in Switzerland. By contrast, China has undertaken efforts to strengthen it. The purpose of this contribution is to analyse these opposite developments. Furthermore, the benefits and drawbacks of lay participation will be assessed from a comparative perspective.

Table of contents

  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Historical origins
  • 2.1. Chinese Law
  • 2.2. Swiss Law
  • 2.3. Comparison
  • 3. Scope of Application
  • 3.1. Chinese Law
  • 3.2. Swiss Law
  • 3.3. Comparison
  • 4. Eligibility and Appointment
  • 4.1. Chinese Law
  • 4.2. Swiss Law
  • 4.3. Comparison
  • 5. Rights and Duties of Assessors
  • 5.1. Chinese Law
  • 5.2. Swiss Law
  • 5.3. Comparison
  • 6. Evaluation
  • 6.1. Potential benefits
  • 6.1.1. Improving the judgement’s legitimacy and authority
  • 6.1.1.1. Improving judicial democracy
  • 6.1.1.2. Enhancing judicial credibility, independence and trust
  • 6.1.2. Safeguarding individual rights
  • 6.1.3. Improving the judgement’s quality
  • 6.1.3.1. Ensuring «common sense»
  • 6.1.3.2. Adding technical expertise
  • 6.2. Potential problems and risks of lay participation
  • 6.2.1. Risk of legally unfounded decisions
  • 6.2.2. Potential incapacity of lay judges to make an autonomous contribution
  • 7. Conclusion