KY Tests Integrity of 19 Supreme Court Candidates Through Open Interviews
The Judicial Commission (KY) has affirmed that integrity and independence are the principal aspects in determining whether candidates for Supreme Court justice pass the selection.
The affirmation was made as open interviews commenced for 19 candidates for Supreme Court justice, two ad hoc human rights (HAM) judges, and two ad hoc corruption (Tipikor) judges at the Supreme Court, taking place from 3 to 7 August 2026.
KY Chairman Abdul Chair Ramadhan said the open interviews serve not only to test the legal abilities of the participants, but also to ensure they possess the character and integrity required of judges at the highest judicial institution.
“The open interviews aim not only to test the intellectual capacity, experience and competence of the candidates, but also to probe their integrity, independence, leadership, commitment to law enforcement, and sensitivity to the values of justice that live within society,” said Abdul Chair in his official statement on Tuesday (4/8).
The interviews are being held at the KY Auditorium and broadcast live via the KY’s YouTube channel. During the selection process, the candidates are tested by seven KY Commissioners together with a number of guest panellists with expertise in their respective fields.
On the first day, the guest panellists involved were Deputy Chief Justice for Judicial Affairs of the Supreme Court, Suharto, who tested the criminal law field, and Wahiduddin Adams as panellist for the statecraft field.
Abdul Chair explained that the interview results will be one of the considerations for the Judicial Commission in determining which participants pass, while taking into account all results from the preceding selection stages. The names of those who pass will subsequently be proposed to the House of Representatives (DPR RI) to undergo a fit-and-proper test before being appointed by the President.
He expressed hope that the selection process can produce judges who not only possess professional capacity, but are also able to uphold the dignity of the judiciary.
“The KY hopes that the candidates who pass and are proposed to the DPR are the best candidates, with integrity and professionalism, capable of rendering just verdicts, providing direction for the development of national law, and strengthening public trust in the judiciary,” he said.
This selection is being conducted to meet the Supreme Court’s request to fill 11 vacant Supreme Court justice positions. The formation comprises two justices for the Civil Chamber, four for the Criminal Chamber, two for the Religious Chamber, three for the State Administrative Chamber specialising in tax, two ad hoc human rights judges, and one ad hoc corruption judge at the Supreme Court.
On the second day, Tuesday (4/8), the KY scheduled interviews with five candidates for Supreme Court justice from the Criminal Chamber: Setyanto Hermawan, Sudharmawatiningsih, Sugiyanto, Suprapti, and Syamsul Arief.
Interviews with candidates from the Civil Chamber, the State Administrative Chamber specialising in tax, the Religious Chamber, as well as ad hoc Tipikor and HAM judge candidates will continue until Friday (7/8).
Meanwhile, the Head of the KY’s Judge Recruitment Division, Andi Muhammad Asrun, explained that the selection process is carried out based on the needs of the Supreme Court.
To date, the requirement to become a candidate for Supreme Court justice has been limited merely to never having been sanctioned with temporary dismissal. Yet sanctions come in many forms, including moderate sanctions.