The president of the Supreme People's Court is the head of the Supreme People's Court and is the highest-ranking official in the judiciary of China. The office is also legally titled the Chief Justice of the People's Republic of China.
Under the current constitution, the president of the SPC is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the National People's Congress (NPC), the legislature. The incumbent president of the Supreme People's Court is Zhang Jun, who took office on 11 March 2023.
History The Supreme People's Court of the Central People's Government was established on 1 October 1949. Shen Junru served as the first president by the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
On 27 September 1954, the SPC of the Central People's Government was replaced with the SPC of the People's Republic of China.
Selection According to the Organic Law of the National People's Congress (NPC), constitutionally China's supreme organ of state power, the president is nominated by the NPC Presidium, the Congress's executive organ. However, the nomination is effectively made by the Chinese Communist Party, with the decisions being made among Party leaders. Candidates for top positions including the president are first approved first by the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee, and then by its Politburo, then approved in a special plenary session the Central Committee just before the NPC session for election by the Congress, with the Presidium presenting the nominee during the NPC session. Although the Presidium could theoretically nominate multiple candidates for the presidency, leading the election to be competitive, it has always nominated a single candidate for the office.
After the nomination, the president is elected by the NPC, which also has the power to remove the president and other state officers from office. Elections and removals are decided by majority vote. The length of the president's term of office is the same as the NPC, which is 5 years, and the president is restricted to two consecutive terms. Since 2018, the president is required to recite the constitutional oath of office before assuming office.
Powers According to the Judges Law of the People's Republic of China, the president of the SPC is the chief justice of the People's Republic of China.
List of presidents No.ChairpersonNPC term Took officeLeft officePolitical PartyPresident of the Supreme People's Court of the Central People's Government1沈钧儒N/AOctober 1, 1949September 27, 1954China Democratic League (CDL)President of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China2董必武1stSeptember 27, 1954April 27, 1959Chinese Communist Party (CCP)3谢觉哉2ndApril 27, 1959January 3, 19654杨秀峰3rdJanuary 3, 1965January 20, 19755江华4thJanuary 20, 1975March 5, 19785thMarch 5, 1978June 20, 19836郑天翔6thJune 20, 1983April 9, 19887任建新7thApril 9, 1988March 28, 19938thMarch 28, 1993March 17, 19988肖扬9thMarch 17, 1998March 16, 200310thMarch 16, 2003March 16, 20089王胜俊11thMarch 16, 2008March 15, 201310周强12thMarch 15, 2013March 18, 201813thMarch 18, 2018March 11, 202311张军14thMarch 11, 2023Incumbent
Timeline
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