SINGAPORE – In an age of truth decay, where there is a blurring of the line between opinion and fact, many people comment on court decisions even though they do not know much about the case.
Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said this breakdown of truth, due to factors such as the rise of echo chambers, poses a challenge for the courts, which are fundamentally truth-seeking institutions.
That is why it is critical that people believe the courts make decisions based on evidence, he said.
Because if most people believe, rightly or wrongly, the courts are making decisions in some other way, there would be a breakdown of confidence in the courts and a breakdown of order in society.
Speaking to reporters on May 22 to mark the 200th anniversary of Singapore’s legal system, Chief Justice Menon spoke on topics such as the impact of artificial intelligence on the courts and the high attrition rates among young lawyers.
He said the court’s business is to look at the evidence and to pronounce on what is true based on the evidence.
To mete out justice is one thing. But to explain it simply to the public is another.
Chief Justice Menon said that is why the Singapore judiciary is committed to giving reasons for its decisions and making these judgments available on its website.
He acknowledged that a long judgment of up to 100 pages may not be accessible to most people.
That is why case summaries are provided for many cases, which he said has helped people understand essential parts of the judgment in plain language.
He added: “I don’t do this often, but occasionally when I go and look at the social media feeds, I think there is still a large number of people who comment without even having read the summaries.
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