The circuit court in Shenzhen starts to accept cases on Monday. Mao Siqian/Xinhua

Judges are appointed

Both circuit courts started accepting cases at the beginning of the month, according to Chinese media reports.

There are at present no plans to open more circuit courts, according to sources at the Supreme People's Court.

Bi Yuqian, director of the civil procedure law research institute under the China University of Political Science and Law, said the move is just the first step in the efforts to press forward with judicial reform.

To staff the new courts, the Supreme People's Court has selected 88 judicial officials, including two chief judges, four deputy judges, 18 senior judges - six of them female - and 20 court clerks, according to a statement by the top justice authority.

Liu Guixiang, 52, the chief judge of Shenzhen circuit court, said all the judges have more than 15 years' experience in hearing cases and have made no mistakes in their work.

His court has its own courtrooms, but judges will be able to travel to areas where disputes arise if necessary.

"For example, we'll go to Hainan or Guangxi and make use of a courtroom in a local high people's court or intermediate court to hear a case," said Liu.

"This will reduce travel expenses and the cost of lawsuits for litigants."

The circuit courts' judges, along with their properties and facilities, are governed by the top court. Their judicial staff members are to be rotated every two years, Liu said, in order to "avoid conflicts of interests".

There will also be disciplinary inspectors to supervise the courts, he added.

"Judges are required to take responsibility for their cases and will be blamed if there are judicial mistakes, said Liu.

"We want to shorten the time spent on cases and reduce opportunities for regional protectionism."

Hu Yunteng, the chief judge at Shenyang circuit court, said high-quality verdicts will be issued regularly to guide grassroots courts on how to to handle similar cases.

The new courts will benefit from the experience they gain in handling cross-regional disputes, he added.

The initiative has been welcomed by Cui Dezhong, a farmer who has been traveling to Beijing for years to petition over the alleged unjust treatment of his son by a local authority.

The circuit courts will now take over responsibility for cases involving petitions.

"The Shenyang court will save me time and money, I'll go there at once," Xinhua News Agency quoted Cui as saying.

Bi welcomed the creation of the new courts, but said the way they work will only become clear over time.

"Regional courts rely on local governments as their source of finance," he said. "Ensuring their independence is a must to maintain the fairness of their judicial procedures. Interference is most severe at intermediate people's courts."

A number of amendments to the law and the Constitution will be required to ensure the circuit courts operate well, he added.

[email protected]