| Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable Chief Justice | ||||||||||||
| Hsu Tzong-li | |||||||||||||
| Order1: | 11th | ||||||||||||
| Office1: | President of the Judicial Yuan | ||||||||||||
| Term Start1: | 1 November 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Appointer1: | Tsai Ing-wen | ||||||||||||
| Vicepresident1: | Tsai Jeong-duen | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor1: | Rai Hau-min | ||||||||||||
| Office2: | Associate Justice of the Judicial Yuan | ||||||||||||
| Term Start2: | 1 November 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Appointer2: | Tsai Ing-wen | ||||||||||||
| Term Start3: | 1 October 2003 | ||||||||||||
| Term End3: | 30 September 2011 | ||||||||||||
| Appointer3: | Chen Shui-bian | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 10 February 1956 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Chiayi, Taiwan | ||||||||||||
| Alma Mater: | National Taiwan University University of Göttingen | ||||||||||||
| Party: | Independent | ||||||||||||
| Module: |
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Hsu Tzong-li (; born 10 February 1956) is a Taiwanese judge who has served as the Chief Justice (President of the Judicial Yuan) of Taiwan since 2016.[1]
Hsu studied at National Taiwan University and later, in 1986, obtained his PhD in law (Dr.iur.) from the University of Göttingen in Germany. Later that year, he began teaching law at Fu Jen Catholic University and moved to NTU in 1987. He was elected dean of NTU's law school in 2002.[2] [3]
He was a member of the Fair Trade Commission from 1995 to 1998 and led the Taiwan Law Society from 2001 to 2003.[2] [4]
Hsu was named a member of the Judicial Yuan in 2003 and left the bench in 2011.[5] [6] [7]
Hsu was appointed the President of the Judicial Yuan on 25 October 2016 after his nomination was approved by legislators after a week of questioning. His selection was challenged with allegations of unconstitutionality, as Hsu had previously served on the Judicial Yuan.[8] [9] Article V of the Additional Articles of the Constitution governs judicial appointments, and reads, in part "Each grand justice of the Judicial Yuan shall serve a term of eight years, independent of the order of appointment to office, and shall not serve consecutive terms." The Tsai Ing-wen administration argued that Hsu was reappointed, and never served consecutive terms.[10] The Alliance for Civic Oversight of Supreme Court Justice Nominees approved of Hsu's selection, as did the New Power Party.[11] [12] Subsequently, the Legislative Yuan voted 72-2 for him to assume the post and for Tsai Jeong-duen to be the Vice President.[13] Hsu was inaugurated as the President of the Judicial Yuan on 1 November 2016 in a ceremony attended by Vice President Chen Chien-jen. Hsu appointed Lu Tai-lang the secretary-general of the Judicial Yuan and Chou Chan-chun as the head of the .[14]
Hsu stated shortly before his confirmation as President of the Judicial Yuan in October 2016 that Cross-Strait relations should be handled on a special state-to-state basis, comparing them to relations between East and West Germany.[15]