國民法官之選任與拒卻——借鑑日本與美國選任程序

Abstract

人民參與司法、與職業法官一同對被告進行審判，為世界各國逐漸形成之審判方式，各國根據相異法體系與規範，形成各有特色之人民參與審判制度，致力於實現人民參與司法之理念；就我國相關制度而言，有鑑於人民對司法的評價漸趨負面，我國於2020年7月通過《國民法官法》，並於2023年1月1日施行，期望藉由創建國民法官制度的方式，促進人民對司法之信賴與瞭解。國民法官制度不同於以往一般刑事訴訟，為挑選得以與職業法官一同進行審判之人民，國民法官制度中新增選任程序，以篩選不符合資格之候選國民法官。為探求國民法官選任程序之實際運作，本論文藉由整理與分析《國民法官法》尚未施行前所舉辦之多場國民法官實務模擬法庭，提出國民法官選任程序可能出現之相關爭議。 有鑑於我國國民法官選任程序無論係詢問或拒卻程序，於過去模擬法庭中，各法院均未有一定之模式與標準，本論文參考與我國國民法官制度較為相近之日本裁判員制度與美國陪審團制度，以日本與美國相關規範與實務操作為借鏡，其中，日本裁判員制度與我國國民法官制度之規範十分相似，相異之處在於，日本最高法院的刑事規則制定諮問委員會對於詢問程序之內容做出統一說明，以供各法院遵循；美國則藉由長期實務運作之累積，對於不附理由拒卻權之行使形成獨特的界線與判定標準。本論文藉由統整與分析日本與美國人民參與審判制度及相關運作，就選任方式、詢問程序之具體操作、拒卻權之行使，提出我國國民法官選任程序之修正方向與建議。

Lay people participate in the judiciary, judging defendants alongside professional judges, is a trial method that has been gradually developed in various countries around the world. Each country has developed its own distinctive lay participation system based on the different legal systems and norms, and is committed to realizing the concept of lay people's participation in the judiciary. Regarding our country's related system, given the increasingly negative public perception of the judiciary, Citizen Judges Act was passed in July 2020 and became effective on January 1, 2023. This act aims to enhance public trust and understanding of the judiciary by creating a citizen judge system. Unlike traditional criminal litigation, the citizen judge system includes a new selection procedure to screen out unqualified prospective citizen judge to serve alongside professional judges in trials. In order to explore the practical operation of the citizen judge selection procedure, this thesis examines and analyzes multiple mock courts held before the implementation of Citizen Judges Act, presenting potential issues in the selection procedure. Considering that the citizen judge selection procedure, whether in the inquiry or the rejection stages, lacked consistent models and standards in the mock courts, this thesis draws on Japanese saiban-in system and American jury system, which are relatively similar to our citizen judge system. The norms of Japanese saiban-in system are quite similar to our own, with the primary difference being that Japan's Advisory Committee for Establishment of Criminal Rules provides unified explanations of the contents of the inquiry procedures for courts to follow. The United States has developed unique boundaries and standards for the exercise of peremptory challenges through long-term practical application. This thesis consolidates and analyzes the lay participation systems and related operations of Japan and the United States, focusing on selection method, specific operation of the inquiry procedure, and the exercise of challenge for cause and peremptory challenge, and proposes the direction and recommendations for the revision of the citizen judge selection procedure.