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Double Whammy: Lay Assessors as Lackeys in Chinese Courts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Xin He
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Abstract

Primarily drawing on in-depth interviews with lay assessors and judges in Chinese courts, this study suggests that assessors are little more than lackeys. To determine the role of lay participation in decision making across different jurisdictions, this article proposes two variables. The first is whether lay assessors are separate from, or mixed with, professional judges; the second is whether the regime is democratic or authoritarian. Viewed according to these variables, China's lay-assessor institution is subject to a double whammy: one, the superior legal knowledge of professional judges and their dominance in procedures, and two, the ultimate control of the regime over judges, who, for self-protection, firmly control lay assessors. This article advances our understanding of the operation of the Chinese lay-assessor institution, and more generally the relationship between lay participation and political regimes.

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Articles
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 50 , Issue 3 , September 2016 , pp. 733 - 765
Copyright
© 2016 Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

This article was presented as the keynote speech at the 2015 Conference of the European China Law Studies Association in Cologne, Germany. I am grateful for the comments of the participants. Kwai Ng, the Review?s editors and anonymous reviewers provided insightful comments for earlier versions of this article. Special thanks go to the Chinese judges and lay assessors who kindly accepted my interviews.

The author acknowledges the financial support from a GRF grant from the Hong Kong Government.

References

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