Hundreds of courts on strike, a standoff between the government and the judiciary, and endless declarations. Is France really suffering from a justice crisis?
To address this issue, Nice Premium spoke with a lawyer from Nice who shares her opinion on the current movement shaking many courts in the country.
After the President of the Republic, government members, and magistrates, it is to get the perspective from a profession closely related to the judiciary that Me Valérie Bothy responded to our questions.
Nice Premium: Me Bothy, what is your view on the current turmoil in the world of the judiciary?
Me Valérie Bothy: I don’t think we can really speak of turmoil… it is undeniable that the Ministry of Justice lacks resources, which gives us the thirty-seventh place in terms of budget among the 43 European countries. However, this does not explain everything.
At the High Court of Nice, we have less than 15 social workers to monitor 2000 people for probation services, which essentially makes it an impossible mission.
Perhaps it would be wise to consider this in the penalties that are pronounced????
The regulations are, in my opinion, largely unsuitable for current delinquency and the reality of the resources we have.
But I do not lose sight of the fact that many of my colleagues wish to leave the profession to join the judiciary… it’s true that 12 weeks of vacation a year is quite tempting… Laughter.
NP: What is your perspective as a lawyer on the suspension of hearings?
Me VB: Like us, the magistrates have hardly any other way to make themselves heard. It is a move of discontent that, in any case, will not resolve the underlying issues. I understand their reaction. I am not among those who think that the solution is to undermine the institutions. Our country already suffers too much from this. Institutions must be respected and respectable….
I fear that public opinion will equate this with corporatism, while it is not…
We cannot ask magistrates to be preemptively condemned by our political institutions, even though when it concerns one of our potential clients, it stirs much less emotion, especially in the Yvan Colonna case….
NP: Do you think this standoff can have a happy ending for all parties?
Me VB: Honestly, no!
More than resources, priorities need to be changed.
We can regret this or be content with it.
NP: Finally, what is your opinion on the position of the government and the President of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, in this “affair,” and how would you plead their defense?
Me VB: In my view, it involves demagogic statements intended to reassure an electorate. This is all too often the case with our policies across the board.
As for pleading their defense, the question doesn’t arise—let’s refrain from acting like them and condemning them before they even have a trial….
Like the magistrates, does the President not benefit from immunity?
