晚清预备立宪与司法“独立”

On the Constitution Preparation in Late Qing and Judicial "Independence"

本文探讨晚清预备立宪过程中的司法独立改革。指出晚清时期开始设立专职的审判、检察机构,改变了以往中国历史上一直实行的地方官员兼任司法审判的做法,并收到了一定的效果,成为中国司法体制变革的开端。而新的司法机构,不是像西方那样独立于王权之外并对行政系统行使有效的监督,因此,应该就是在晚清时代,奠定了设立专职审判机构但仍在行政系统领导之下的有中国特点的近代司法体系的基础。

This paper focuses on the judicial independence reform as part of the preparation for implementing constitutional government in late Qing. It argues that that the setting up of professional courts and procuratorates to replace the traditional official-as-judge practice constitutes the initial step of China＇s legal reform process, yielding a number of tangibly positive effects. However, the newly instituted judicial organizations, unlike the standard practice in the West, enjoy no independence from the imperial government, and thus, unable to exercise effective supervision over the administration. Thus, it can be seen that starting from late Qing, the basis for a Chinese - styled legal system has been effectively laid, i.e., professional courts and procuratorates under the leadership of the administration.