Constitutional Court judge Anwar Usman has bidden farewell and\noffered an apology to the public during a judgment reading session at\nthe Constitutional Court (MK) in Jakarta on Monday 16 March. This marked\nhis final session at the constitutional bench before completing almost\n15 years of service at the institution.<\/p>\n
During the session presided over by Constitutional Court Chief\nSuhartoyo, Anwar delivered a judgment on case number 176\/PUU-XXIII\/2025\nregarding statutory testing. Before commencing the judgment reading, he\noffered a sincere apology concerning his lengthy tenure at the\nconstitutional guardianship institution.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the depths of my heart, I offer my apologies,\u201d Anwar stated in\nthe plenary session room of the Constitutional Court building in Jakarta\non Monday 16 March.<\/p>\n
Anwar, uncle of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, predicted that\nthis session represented his final opportunity to sit in judgment.\nAccording to regulations, his term will expire on 6 April 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis may be my final session. On 6 April 2026, I will have completed\n15 years of service at the Constitutional Court,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that during his tenure as constitutional judge, not\nall his decisions or actions had been universally accepted.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally, over such a lengthy period, there have been matters that\nwere displeasing, whether intentional or unintentional. For this reason,\nfrom the depths of my heart, I offer my sincere apologies,\u201d Anwar\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Anwar Usman\u2019s journey at the Constitutional Court began on 6 April\n2011 as a representative from the Supreme Court (MA). His career peaked\nwhen he was elected Constitutional Court Chief for 2018\u20132023. However,\nnear the conclusion of his tenure, he was removed from that\nposition.<\/p>\n
During his service, Anwar attracted public scrutiny on several\noccasions. The greatest controversy emerged following Constitutional\nCourt decision number 90\/PUU-XXI\/2023, which altered the age\nrequirements for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The\ndecision opened the possibility for local leaders under 40 years old to\nrun as presidential or vice-presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
The decision sparked considerable debate as it was deemed to have\npaved the way for Gibran, who was then serving as Solo Mayor, to run as\na vice-presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
This controversy led to an investigation by the Constitutional\nCourt\u2019s Honour Assembly (MKMK), then chaired by Jimly Asshiddiqie. In a\ndecision on 7 November 2023, the Honour Assembly found Anwar Usman\nguilty of serious ethical violations.<\/p>\n
The Honour Assembly stated that Anwar failed to recuse himself from\nexamining cases related to his family\u2019s interests, thereby violating the\nimpartiality principle. He was also deemed to have opened space for\noutside interference in the judgment-making process and failed to\nexercise leadership functions optimally.<\/p>\n
As a result of this decision, Anwar was removed from his position as\nConstitutional Court Chief. He subsequently filed a lawsuit at the\nJakarta State Administrative Court challenging the Honour Assembly\u2019s\ndecision.<\/p>\n
Beyond the ethics matter, Anwar also faced scrutiny regarding his low\nattendance rate of just 71 per cent in various sessions throughout 2025.\nAccording to internal Constitutional Court records, he had been absent\n81 times from plenary sessions out of 589 total sessions, 32 panel\nsessions out of 160 sessions, and 32 judicial deliberation meetings\n(RPH).<\/p>\n
Responding to this, Anwar explained that his absences were due to\nhealth conditions and medical treatment he needed to undergo.<\/p>\n
Anwar Usman\u2019s position will eventually be filled by a new\nconstitutional judge from the Supreme Court. The selection process has\nbeen conducted by a selection committee chaired by Supreme Court Deputy\nChief for Judicial Affairs, Suharto.<\/p>\n
The selection committee has proposed three names of prospective\nconstitutional judges to Supreme Court Chief Sunarto. These are Fahmiron\n(senior judge at Denpasar High Court), Liliek Prisbawono Adi (senior\njudge at Medan High Court), and Marsudin Nainggolan (Chief of North\nKalimantan High Court).<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court Chief will select one name to be submitted to\nPresident Prabowo Subianto for appointment through presidential decision\nand swearing in as the new constitutional judge.<\/p>\n
Anwar Usman is scheduled to formally conclude his tenure on 6 April\n2026 after reaching the maximum term limit for service as a\nconstitutional judge.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/anwar-usman-bids-farewell-to-constitutional-court-apologises-to-public-1773665759", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }