Constitutional Justice Manahan M. P. Sitompul listening to presentation by US Supreme Court Fellow John L. Rockenbach in Washington, D.C., Wednesday (6/12/2023). Photo by MKRI/MMA.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (MKRI) — Continuing his working visit in the United States, Constitutional Justice Manahan M.P. Sitompul visited the US Supreme Court in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, June 12, 2023 for sharing experiences on the latest legal developments in the US, especially relating to cases handled by the US Supreme Court as the highest judicial institution. John L. Rockenbach, the 2022-2023 Fellow assigned to the Supreme Court, and Mardhiah Ridha Muhammad, counselor of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C. welcomed the MKRI (Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia) delegation.
To start the meeting, Justice Manahan conveyed several things on legal developments in the MKRI and expressed his gratitude to the US Supreme Court. “The MKRI wants to explore the latest things, the dynamics of immigration law in America, the decisions of the US Supreme Court, and institutional development to compare as benchmarking material for the MKRI in the future,” said the UPH (Universitas Pelita Harapan) lecturer.
Next, Rockenbach apologized for any inconvenience due to the temporary closure of the US Supreme Court’s building for security reasons, for which the MKRI delegation be held outside. However, after the security officers ensured that the building was safe, the MKRI delegation was allowed to enter.
Rockenbach then explained the American legal system, judicial hierarchy, procedural law in normal times and during the pandemic, as well as institutional matters such as those relating to the tenure of justices and the filling of judicial vacancies in the US Supreme Court, not to mention landmark decisions.
During the discussion session, Justice Manahan and the MKRI delegation asked questions about the implementation of decisions, tenure of justices, supervision of justices, dismissal of justices, drafting of decisions by the justices, and changes to decisions after pronouncement.
Afterward, Justice Manahan was taken to the main courtroom of the US Supreme Court, which housed a very famous inscription—the statue of John Marshal, a founding father, and Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court known for Marbury v Madison, which paved the way for judicial review in the US.
Visit to Library of Congress
Justice Manahan also visited the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, which supports the US Congress for references in law and state administration. Justice Manahan was also accompanied by the National Center for State Courts’ (NCSC) Vice President Jeffrey A. Apperson and representatives from the Indonesian embassy in Washington, D.C.
First, Justice Manahan was taken to the center of the building, the main reading room, and the room housing classic law book catalog. The library’s tranquil atmosphere and grand, luxurious architecture attract researchers and the public. The library has a collection of more than 32 million titles in 470 languages. In addition, it holds other activities to increase public interest in visiting the library.
Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Previously, Justice Manahan met with the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the US Rosan Roeslani at the headquarters of the embassy (KBRI) in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 6. Deputy Ambassador Ida Bagus Made Bimantara, Defense Attaché Tjahja Elang Migdiawan, and other Embassy officials were also in attendance.
During the visit, Justice Manahan talked about the 2023 Recharging Program in collaboration with the NCSC and William & Mary Law School, which was officially opened the day before at the NCSC Williamsburg office. “This program was the Court’s initiative for improving the capacity of employees and is aimed at studying the judicial system in democratic countries, especially those that have similar authority to what the law mandates to the Constitutional Court,” he said.
He also asked for the embassy’s support for the recharging participants who will participate in the program for seven weeks—two weeks in Williamsburg and five in Washington, D.C. “This program will be completed on July 22, 2023 and closed by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Mr. Anwar Usman. Hopefully the Indonesian Embassy can facilitate meetings with ministerial-level officials from US government agencies in law enforcement and democracy, to make it a meaningful visit,” he added.
Justice Manahan also hoped to improve relations between the MKRI and the US Supreme Court by signing a letter of intent, which is expected to build a more intensive cooperation for improving the MKRI’s decisions, administration, and judicial independence. He also said that in August the Court will celebrate its twentieth anniversary and organize a series of international events and invite 20 leaders of judicial institutions, one of which is the US Supreme Court.
“In that context, we ask for help from the Indonesian Embassy to convey an official invitation as well as become a bridge of communication between [the MKRI] in Jakarta and [the US Supreme Court in] Washington, D.C.,” he added.
Justice Manahan also expressed hope to open up opportunities for cooperation and partnership with donor agencies in democracy and governance, such as the Department of Justice, and/or or leading universities in the US for employee capacity building programs or expert exchanges.
Embassy’s Full Support
In response, Ambassador Rosan Roeslani stated that he would provide full support for the recharging program and the development of MKRI’s cooperation with relevant institutions in America. “We welcome the implementation of this program and of course we will provide full support for the advancement of human resources of the Constitutional Court and its international network, especially the United States,” he said.
He added that this was the right moment for the Court to establish cooperation with institutions such as the US Supreme Court. “This is the right time for Indonesia, especially the Constitutional Court to establish more intense cooperation with judicial institutions in the United States because bilateral relations between Indonesia and the United States are improving along with the granting of full powers to all consulate-generals in the United States,” he said.
At the end of the event, Justice Manahan handed souvenirs to the ambassador—two books he wrote in 2021 and 2022. He then continued with a tour of the embassy building, which is a heritage building with a classic architectural design that Indonesia purchased from the US government.
Author : MMA
Editor : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)
Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version will prevail.
Monday, June 12, 2023 | 16:01 WIB 187