How do judges rule on cases? And what do they base their rulings on?
To be honest, nearly ninety percent of people believe that judges rule based solely on laws derived from morality, or perhaps based on public opinion.
Yes, but not entirely.
Take a few examples.
In later generations, you could often scroll through the internet and find some very extreme court cases. The most common were those involving ’bride prices, division of marital property, and the handling of extramarital affairs.’
Most people find these cases upsetting and infuriating, leading them to curse the courts and the judges.
But this raises a question.
It’s one thing for there to be a few corrupt judges, but some judges have absolutely no vested interests with either party, and their personal values don’t even align with theirs!
If that’s the case, then why would they risk getting blasted by public opinion to hand down verdicts that seem somewhat ’antisocial’?
Because politics, public opinion, morality, and law—these four factors in a judgment will...
Conflict!
"This is thorny, so thorny."
On the judicial bench.
Zhang Bingxin looked at the courtroom floor, his chest felt like a cat was scratching at it from the inside, making him burn with impatience.
The current case had become like a cactus; no matter which way you grabbed it, you’d get a handful of spines.
After a long moment, he took a deep breath and turned to look at the prosecution.
’I still have to get through the final procedures first.’
"To the prosecution, regarding the statements made by the aforementioned witness, the victim’s legal representative, and the defendant, does your side... have any further objections to state?"
At the prosecution’s table.
What more could the prosecutors say?
Obviously, nothing.
"Your Honor, our side..."
Wang Wei glanced at Hu Guang beside him, his lips moving for a moment.
With the case having reached this point, the two of them had completely lost their fight.
The man on the other side was hardly human. He was like one of those ’AI robots’ from foreign films; no matter what angle they took, he had them completely pinned down.
How could you possibly win an argument against a robot with a computer for a brain!?
"Our side has no objections."
As soon as Wang Wei finished speaking, he fell silent, his body succumbing to the bone-deep exhaustion welling up from within.
No objections...
He had their answer.
The spectators in the gallery erupted.
And for good reason. Those two words held immense significance in a trial. They represented...
"No objections? Does that mean they’re giving up? They’ve been argued into submission!?"
"That’s Hu Guang from the Second Prosecutor’s Office of the Municipal Procuratorate! Isn’t he going to say something, put up a fight!?"
"What’s the point of fighting? Forget being Hu Guang himself, I can barely breathe just putting myself in his shoes. Where would I get the energy to struggle...?"
"Before you talk about fighting back, did you see that mountain of stuff the defendant’s side presented!?"
"..."
In the gallery, the once-quiet tiered seats were now filled with people whispering to each other, their faces filled with disbelief.
No objections... The prosecution had conceded!
Faced with the pile of theories presented by the defendant, they didn’t even try to bargain. They just conceded directly!
"My God."
The reporter, Zhang Xia, looked on in astonishment. She covered her mouth, glancing at her shocked senior colleague, Liu.
That was the reaction from the laypeople.
For the legal True Monarch, Lin Yue, and the top student from a 985 university, Wang Chao, who were watching live, the shock was even greater.
"Did he... did he just win!?"
Wang Chao clasped his head in his hands, his eyes wide as he stared at the courtroom floor.
One second, he was worried about cutting his losses due to the intense back-and-forth between the two sides, and the next... Xu De had unleashed an unstoppable combo.
The tide of battle turned in an instant, rendering all of the prosecution’s accusations pale and powerless!
Lin Yue was in a similar state. Emotions churned within her as her gaze fell on Xu De’s back.
The thought of the ’partner law firm’ they had discussed yesterday came to mind, and her breathing grew slightly ragged.
It seemed this three-person team had produced... a monster whose abilities defied the heavens!
...
On the courtroom floor.
Zhang Bingxin no longer had the energy to manage the commotion in the gallery.
He took a deep breath and looked toward the plaintiffs.
"To the plaintiffs... does your side have any objections regarding this case?"
Li Youcai and Liu Cui immediately shook their heads. They were even eager for the verdict to be announced quickly so they could go find their grandson.
As for Chen Wei...
Chen Wei was exhausted. He sat slumped in his chair, his breathing seeming faint.
Hearing the judge’s question, a bitter expression crossed his face.
’Objections?’
’What objections could he possibly have? Even if he had any, which he didn’t...’
’...they would seem utterly insignificant in the face of that pile of ’materials’ the other side had produced.’
What was the use of those materials? They could lead to a reduced sentence!
How much of a reduction would it take to make someone feel this helpless?
Let’s put it this way. Under normal circumstances...
Confession (reduction of 40% or less), excessive self-defense (reduction of 60%-80%), letter of forgiveness (reduction of 40%), settlement agreement (reduction of 50% or less), special circumstances (reduction of 50% to penalty exemption), justifiable self-defense (not guilty)...
Looking at these numbers, Chen Wei felt a wave of despair.
Forget everything else, just looking at the ’values’ these items brought, even a death sentence with the thickest ’health bar’ would be reversed into owing two lives after stacking all these up!
So...
"Our side..."
"We have no objections. We will abide by the court’s decision."
After saying this, Chen Wei seemed to have exhausted his last ounce of strength, staring blankly at the ceiling.
And so.
The ball was once again tossed back to the judicial bench.
Everyone’s anxious gazes converged on the three figures sitting high on the platform.
On the judicial bench.
"The prosecution and the plaintiffs have conceded..."
Judge Sun Dong said in a low voice, his expression unusually solemn.
Hearing this, Liu Jianguo also frowned, his mind racing.
’The plaintiffs conceded, so the defendant should win. But the defense is for ’not guilty’...’
’A not guilty verdict... for a clear case where the defendant killed someone!’
’In a nation of over a billion people, with countless courts, the number of such verdicts handed down in a whole year—all 365 days—is no more than five at most!’
’Why?’
’Because of the rule of law. If the law were to advocate for fatal counterattacks, it would lead to copycat incidents. And what society needs is stability.’
’In other words, the law seeks stability, while morality demands justice!’
’The moment you start broadly publicizing justifiable self-defense based on ’evidence,’ you’ll see countless murder and assault cases crop up, causing social chaos!’
’Therefore, ’justifiable self-defense’ has practically become a ’dormant clause’ that is extremely difficult to invoke.’
"If that’s not possible... what about excessive self-defense?"
Liu Jianguo felt like he was being grilled on a hot plate. He furrowed his brow and conferred in a low voice.
"We don’t activate the dormant clause. We convict him of ’excessive self-defense,’ but because the defense lawyer submitted ’evidence,’ we can use our discretion and decide not to impose a penalty."
"The defendant, Wang Qiang, would be guilty but exempt from punishment. Released on the spot. It’s no different from a not guilty verdict!"
An exemption from punishment?
This was indeed the primary choice for most judges facing such a situation. Both sides could accept it, and it would preserve the deterrent power of the law.
But...
Zhang Bingxin exhaled slowly.
Zhang Bingxin was silent for a moment. A moment later, he raised his solemn face and looked Sun Dong and Liu Jianguo in the eye.
This case...
That unknown lawyer had left the court with no room to even consider excessive self-defense, the lightest possible sentence, or an ’exemption from punishment’!
Unless they were willing to throw away all their integrity and force a conviction.
The other two paused slightly, understanding his meaning. They seemed to want to say something but held back.
In the end... Liu Jianguo fell silent, saying nothing more to stop him.
The three had reached a consensus. Their gazes gradually firmed with resolve.
Zhang Bingxin took a deep breath, puffing out his chest and filling out his judicial robe. His figure seemed unusually imposing. He picked up the gavel before him and raised it high.
BANG!!!
A crisp sound rang out in the silent First Tribunal, echoing off the walls and into everyone’s ears.
Looking up.
On the judicial bench, the three judges rose in unison.
"The verdict will now be announced."
Zhang Bingxin looked down at the document in his hands, his solemn expression like that of a majestic statue. He began to speak:
"This court, having convened and conducted a trial in accordance with the law, wherein both the prosecution and defense have presented evidence, cross-examined, engaged in courtroom debate, and provided final statements, has now concluded its hearing."
"Upon review of the facts presented..."
"The deceased, Li Erniu, initiated an unlawful assault that was actual, imminent, and ongoing. The defendant, Wang Qiang, was at all times in the position of being assaulted, with no intent to provoke, retaliate, or engage in mutual combat..."
"The defendant, Wang Qiang, acted in self-defense to protect his own and others’ lawful rights and interests. The means and intensity of his counterattack did not exceed the necessary limit..."
"The prosecution’s accusation that the defendant is guilty of ’excessive self-defense, resulting in death by intentional injury’ is based on unclear facts, insufficient evidence, and an erroneous application of the law. This court does not support this charge..."
"The verdict is as follows."
"In accordance with Article 20, Paragraph 1 of the Dongguo People’s Republic Criminal Law..."
"In accordance with Article 162, Item 2 of the Dongguo People’s Republic Criminal Procedure Law..."
"The defendant, Wang Qiang..."
At this, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin paused.
At this moment.
Everyone suppressed their wildly beating hearts, staring wide-eyed at the judicial bench. They held their breath, afraid that the slightest sound might interfere with the announcement of the verdict.
Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin looked up. Two words left his lips, loud, clear, and powerful.
"Not guilty!!!"
In an instant, a collective shudder ran through everyone in the First Tribunal!