According to the Prime Minister’s Department, any JC with at least three incomplete judgments will not be elevated to the position of High Court judge.

In a written reply to M Kula Segaran (PH-Ipoh Barat) today, the department said the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) recommends candidates for promotion based on a set criteria.

“Section 23 of the JAC Act states that the commission selects candidates based on, integrity, competency and experience; objective, impartial, fair and good moral character; decisiveness and ability to make timely judgments and good legal writing skills; industriousness and ability to manage cases well; and physical and mental health.

“Apart from that, the quality of judgment and judicial temperament are also considered to be selected for promotion,” the department added.

Contacted by FMT for clarification, Kula, who is former human resources minister, said he had raised the issue in the Dewan Rakyat last week of four JCs who were lawyers but whose two-year contracts were not renewed last year.

All have since returned to private practice.

The JAC comprises nine members – four top judicial administrators led by the chief justice, as well as a senior Federal Court judge and four other eminent persons who are appointed by the prime minister.

Currently, there are 63 JCs, 56 of whom are in the peninsula, four in Sarawak and three in Sabah.