Chief Justice Anwar Usman closing the 2023 Recharging Program, Friday (7/21/2023) at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Photo by MKRI.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (MKRI) — Although the legal systems of the United States and Indonesia are different, both uphold the constitution and democracy, said Chief Justice Anwar Usman at the closing ceremony of the 2023 Recharging Program on Friday, July 21, 2023 at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. At the event, which started at 11:30 local time, the chief justice delivered a keynote speech and explained that the program was aimed at “recharging” the Constitutional Court’s (MK) employees to gain new knowledge, experiences, and perspectives from learning about the development and implementation of law in the U.S. It was very apt to learn about “Restructuring Constitutional Democracy,” the program’s theme, in the U.S., a democracy and rule of law.

Before Chief Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Chief Justice Anwar Usman explained that on its independence in 1945, Indonesia had chosen democracy as the way of life, specifically democracy based on the state ideology and people’s guidelines, Pancasila.

“I am proud to say that, as a country with the largest Muslim population, Indonesia is also one of the largest democracies in the world that, since its independence in 1945, has chosen democracy as its way of life,” he said.

At the end of his remarks, he expressed his appreciation to the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) as the Court’s collaborative partner in the recharging program. He especially congratulated the nine participants who had completed the seven-week program. He hoped they would share the new materials and insight from the program to their respective units.

“You are agents of change, the faces of the Constitutional Court in the future. Do think big and act honorably,” he concluded.

Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, judicial liaison of the U.S. Ministry of Foreign Affairs John Jasik, and deputy chief of mission of Indonesia to the U.S. Ida Bagus Made Bimantara also delivered their remarks at the closing ceremony. The NCSC’s Vice President Jeffrey Apperson and Program Manager Isabelle Schrank as well as the Court’s acting head of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau Budi Wijayanto and head of the International Affairs Division Immanuel Hutasoit were in attendance.

Bilateral Meeting

Chief Justice Anwar Usman and Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby had a bilateral meeting on Thursday, July 21. They were welcome at the office of the chief judge, who then explain the legal system in the U.S.—the hierarchy of the state and federal judiciary and the requirements for U.S. judges.

Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby explained that although her authority lies with the state, as a superior court judge, she was directly elected by president of the United States. She recounted how she was elected twice by President Bill Clinton and then by President George W. Bush. She also expressed her appreciation for Chief Justice Anwar Usman and the Constitutional Court delegation. She was very grateful to be able to exchange ideas with the Constitutional Court delegation, as it would help strengthen relations between the U.S. and Indonesia, especially in law enforcement.

In response, Chief Justice Anwar Usman offered a warm welcome to the chief judge should she ever visit Indonesia and the Constitutional Court to further strengthen the relations between the two institutions and to learn more about the Constitutional Court. The congenial bilateral meeting was concluded with an exchange of souvenirs.

Author       : NL
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.

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