BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- China had 340,000 people's assessors as of June 2026, up 61.9 percent from before the people's assessors law took effect in 2018, according to a report submitted to the country's top legislature on Tuesday.
Grassroots officials, farmers, community workers and people in flexible employment make up more than half of the total, said the report by the Supreme People's Court, which was delivered at a session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.
People's assessors are lay citizens who sit with professional judges on the same panel to hear cases. Under the law, they have equal rights as judges at trial unless otherwise specified. On a three-person panel, assessors take part in deciding both the facts and the application of the law, while on a seven-person panel they focus on the facts.
Since the law took effect in April 2018, assessors have participated in the trial of 15.5 million cases, the report said. Courts have also ensured that they take part in more cases with a major social impact, including those involving group or public interests or drawing wide public attention, as well as complex cases.
The report said the system has produced good results over the past years. The pool of assessors is more broadly representative of the public, the range of cases they hear has expanded, and the mechanisms supporting their participation have improved.
Under the law, Chinese citizens who are at least 28 years old, uphold the Constitution, obey the law and are honest and well-behaved are eligible to serve. In most cases, assessors are randomly selected.
Lawyers, notaries and arbitrators, among others, are excluded from the service, as are people who have received criminal punishment, been removed from public posts, been disbarred or been listed as court-order defaulters.
OTHER REPORTS
Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, attended the second plenary meeting of the 25th session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee.
In addition to a report on the work of people's assessors, lawmakers heard a report on the inspection of the implementation of the Law on Building Accessible Environments, which took effect in September 2023.
The report highlighted the country's solid progress in building accessible environments. It also called for greater use of technology to advance high-quality accessibility development, and a more coordinated approach to protecting the rights of key groups and improving public well-being.
The meeting heard a report on the inspection of the implementation of the Food Security Law. It noted that the law's implementation has made phased progress in further strengthening the foundations of China's food security.
The meeting also heard a report on the inspection of the implementation of the Hainan Free Trade Port Law. The report highlighted positive results from the law's implementation and the initial establishment of a policy framework for the free trade port.
Lawmakers deliberated a comprehensive report on the management of state-owned assets for 2025, and heard a special report and an oversight research report on the management of state-owned natural resources for the same year.
They also heard a report on financial work delivered on behalf of the State Council and a report by the Supreme People's Procuratorate on intellectual property procuratorial work. ■
