Supreme People's Court Circuit Court Opens in Shenzhen, with Effect Equivalent to Supreme Court, Both Being Final Judgments

The First Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court will be officially inaugurated in Shenzhen on the morning of January 28. According to the pilot plan approved by the central government, the First and Second Circuit Courts of the Supreme People's Court are located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, and Shenyang, Liaoning Province, respectively. Both circuit courts will begin accepting and hearing cases early this year. It is also reported that after the Shenzhen circuit court is inaugurated, the Second Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court will be officially established in Shenyang at the end of this month.

The circuit court is equivalent to the Supreme People's Court in terms of trial level.

It is reported that the First Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court will be officially inaugurated in Shenzhen on the morning of January 28. According to central government arrangements, the circuit court in Shenzhen will have jurisdiction over cases from Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces. The circuit court established by the Supreme People's Court is equivalent to its branch, with the same trial level as the Supreme People's Court. The judgments of the circuit court carry the same force as those of the Supreme People's Court and are final judgments.

"From the perspective of the national court system, Guangdong handles a relatively large proportion of civil, commercial, and criminal cases each year, many of which are difficult and novel. Shenzhen itself is a pilot site for judicial reform, with a solid foundation, and its reforms and innovations span multiple fields, including economic system reform, consistently leading the country." Previously, Cheng Lei, deputy director of the Procedural System and Judicial Reform Research Center at Renmin University of China, stated in an interview with a Beijing Youth Daily reporter.

The two circuit court presidents have already been confirmed.

According to media reports, in terms of personnel setup, each circuit court will have one president, two vice presidents, eight presiding judges, and several staff members, with some clerks selected from local courts. At the end of last year, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress approved the appointment and removal decisions for the two circuit court presidents. Liu Guixiang and Hu Yunteng, deputy ministerial-level full-time members of the Judicial Committee of the Supreme People's Court, were entrusted with these important roles.

The circuit courts can help shift the focus of judicial authorities downward.

"In recent years, the Supreme People's Court has been handling an increasing number of cases, with over 10,000 cases per year for several consecutive years. This puts great pressure on judges and is not conducive to the Supreme People's Court fully exercising its functions of guiding and supervising national court trials," said Hu Yunteng, who was appointed as the presiding judge of the Second Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court, in an interview with People's Daily. "At the same time, as cases are brought to the Supreme People's Court for trial, local disputes and instability factors are also brought to Beijing."

Sun Jungong, spokesperson for the Supreme People's Court, pointed out that the establishment of circuit courts by the Supreme People's Court aims to shift the focus of judicial authorities downward, resolve disputes locally, and facilitate litigation for parties. This will help the headquarters of the Supreme People's Court concentrate on formulating judicial policies and judicial interpretations, as well as hearing cases that have significant guiding importance for the uniform application of law.

　The Second Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court will be inaugurated in Shenyang at the end of January.

According to the pilot plan approved by the central government, the First and Second Circuit Courts of the Supreme People's Court will be located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, and Shenyang, Liaoning Province, respectively. Both circuit courts will begin accepting and hearing cases early this year. It is also reported that after the Shenzhen Circuit Court is inaugurated, the Second Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court will be officially inaugurated in Shenyang at the end of this month.

(Beijing Youth Daily)