On September 17, the Clarke Program in East Asian Law and Culture at Cornell Law School invited Prof. Steven Chien to give a talk on Taiwan’s citizen judges. Prof. Chien discusses the role of Taiwanese prosecutors working within trial units, filling a gap in current literature by illuminating the dramatic changes in Taiwan’s criminal trials, specifically the fundamental reshaping of the prosecutor’s role and institutional culture. The talk explores the significant transformation within Taiwan’s criminal legal sphere with the implementation of the Citizen Judge Act in January 2023. Drawing on his ethnographic research, Prof. Chien introduces a new theoretical framework that examines the “silent influence” of American criminal justice on Taiwan’s legal profession, demonstrating how foreign law can shape legal practices in nuanced ways. Prof. Valerie Hans (Charles F. Rechlin Professor of Law) served as the discussant. Prof. Yun-chien Chang (Jack G. Clarke Professor of Law) moderated.
Event Link:
CSU Law Faculty 