Jimly Reminds MK Justices to Express Thanks to DPR, President, and Supreme Court Only Once

JAKARTA - Former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK), Jimly Asshiddiqie, has reminded MK justices to express thanks to the institutions that proposed them only once. “Brothers and sisters, hopefully the gentlemen from the DPR, of course, must thank those who elected them, right? But one thank you is enough,” Jimly stated during his speech at the launch of the book “Kemerdekaan Kekuasaan Kehakiman” (Independence of Judicial Power) and his 70th birthday celebration, at the MK Building in Jakarta on Friday (17/4/2026). “Also those from the Supreme Court, thank you to Mr Sunarto and the team, but please, just one thank you. The same for those appointed by the President. Thanks are necessary, but please, just once. Don’t keep nurturing it continuously,” he added. Furthermore, Jimly highlighted the backgrounds of the justices. In his view, before becoming an MK justice, it would be better for someone to first serve as a public official. “Actually, becoming a constitutional judge, in my opinion, should ideally involve prior experience as a public official,” Jimly said. “Don’t give someone who is an expert from university direct power as a judge. There are pluses, but there are minuses too,” he added. Overall, Jimly assessed that the current composition of MK justices is diverse and well-mixed, allowing them to debate each other to seek truth and justice. Before becoming an MK Justice, Adies Kadir was a cadre of the Golkar Party and held the position of Deputy Chairman of the DPR RI. On 5 February 2026, Adies was officially inaugurated as an MK Justice to replace Arief Hidayat, who entered retirement. The selection of Adies as an MK Justice proposed by the DPR RI has sparked controversy because a name had previously been selected, namely Inosentius Samsul. Liliek was inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto on Friday (10/4/2026) to replace Anwar Usman, who reached retirement age. Before becoming an MK Justice, Liliek had extensive experience leading various judicial institutions, from the Balikpapan District Court to the Central Jakarta District Court.