Syndicat de la Magistrature

The Syndicat de la Magistrature (SM; English: Union of the Magistracy) is France's second largest magistrates' trade union in terms of membership after the more conservative Union syndicale des magistrats (USM). It was founded on 8 June 1968 in the direct aftermath of the May 68 events.

Political positions

Close to the left-wing parties such as the Socialist Party, it is in favour of a larger independence of the judiciary from the executive, often criticising police brutality or harsh immigration laws. During the 2005 civil unrest, it criticised then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy's use of what it considered to be inappropriate language. In the 2012 presidential election, it called to defeat Sarkozy.[1]

The Syndicat de la Magistrature is member of Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés (MEDEL), a progressive European NGO of judges and public prosecutors.

Mur des cons affair

In 2013, the union became the centre of a political controversy that would become known as the Mur des cons affair (French: Affaire du Mur des cons), after journalists published images of a wall in the union's headquarters in Paris on which public personalities, most notably a number of politicians (including government ministers under President Sarkozy), were insulted through pinned photographs with comments.[1][2] Justice Minister Christiane Taubira reacted to the affair by calling the comments on the wall "unbearable, stupid and unhealthy", stating in front of the Senate that she would ask for an investigation into any possible ethics breaches to get "rid (…) of the suspicion that weighs on [the judiciary's] impartiality".[3]

In 2019, the union as well as its former chairwoman were found guilty of public insults by a Paris appellate court.[4][5] Since the "disatrous" affair that gave the judiciary a politicised image, the union has lost its standing with the public;[6] its criticism in 2020 of newly-appointed Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti was largely ignored by President Emmanuel Macron.[7] Dupond-Moretti would later himself state that the affair was "pathetic" for the union, arguing it does not represent the judiciary as a whole.[8]

References
  1. (in French) "Le Syndicat de la magistrature paie pour son «mur des cons»", Le Figaro, 18 July 2013.
  2. (in French) ""Mur des cons": qui sont les heureux élus?", L'Express, 25 April 2013.
  3. (in French) ""Mur des cons" : Christiane Taubira saisit le Conseil supérieur de la magistrature", France 24, 25 April 2013.
  4. (in French) "Affaire du «Mur des cons» : le RN et Robert Ménard gagnent en appel", Le Parisien, 19 December 2019.
  5. (in French) "«Mur des cons» : la condamnation de l'ex-présidente du Syndicat de la magistrature définitivement confirmée", Libération, 12 January 2021.
  6. (in French) "Philippe Bilger : « Le mur des cons a fracturé la confiance dans la justice »", Le Point, 11 October 2019.
  7. (in French) "Éric Dupond-Moretti "n’est plus notre interlocuteur", "il n’est plus crédible", affirme le Syndicat de la magistrature", francetvinfo.com, 30 September 2020.
  8. (in French) ""Ce n'est pas la justice": Éric Dupond-Moretti s'en prend au Syndicat de la Magistrature", BFM TV, 14 September 2023.


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