现代社会中司法的力量——兼论转型中国司法的两难困境及应对

在现代社会中,司法成为一种专门且相对独立的活动,这不仅是分权制衡的必要和纠纷解决的产物,也是现代国家统治正当化的策略选择。由此,司法活动既受内在限制,也蕴含了影响国家治理和社会发展的潜在力量。面对人们司法预期增长与法院自身能力不足的矛盾,司法力量的铸成需以克制为基本立场,并依靠相应的制度和司法技艺灵活处理可能危及自身安全和正当性的社会需求。相形之下,转型中国的司法尚未完成现代化就已经无法避免能动的角色担当,其力量的培育不仅需要在审判独立性方面着力,而且还要注重为法院"减压",并理性认识和评估法官实践中的智慧。

Judicial Power in Modern Society:Judicial Dilemma in Transitional China and Its Solutions

In modern society,administration of justice has become a sort of special and relatively independent activity,which is not only a product of separation of powers and dispute-resolution but also indicates the justifiable strategy of governance of the state. As such,judicial activity,while limited inherently,has potential power concerning state governance and social development. To meet people's increasing demand of judicial justice and to fight against courts’ per se incapability,while gathering one's force,the judiciary should maintain self-restraint and based on relevant systems and judicial techniques skillfully respond to the social demands that may jeopardize the safety of legitimacy of administration of justice itself. While in China,the judiciary has not yet finished its modernization,it has to play an active role in the transitional period. Thus,while reinforcing the judiciary,we should not only stress independence of adjudication,but also take into account of "relieving the pressure" on courts and rational recognition and evaluation of judges’ intelligence in practice.