China chief justice calls for new code of conduct to address court corruption News
China chief justice calls for new code of conduct to address court corruption

[JURIST] Public trust in the Chinese judiciary needs in be restored in the face of court corruption and systemic failures to implement court orders, according to a report by the China's chief justice submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress [official websites] Monday. The report says that 800,000 court orders remain unimplemented by the courts due to negligence or bribery, and other statistics disclosed by China's People's Daily show that over 461 judges were punished for graft-related offenses in 2004. Addressing the Standing Committee, Chief Justice Xiao Yang [official profile] announced [press release, in Chinese] a three-year reform plan focusing on implementing a strict code of conduct for local judges.

Last week, Chinese President Hu Jintao called for an end to judicial corruption [JURIST report] while four top Chinese judges face trial on charges of accepting bribes to fix the outcomes of cases in Anhui province. The People's Daily has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.