"A declaration of war on the judiciary". The arrival of the media Eric Dupond-Moretti is barely official Monday July 6 that the tone is already set by the unions of magistrates, starting with the USM which with a bad eye the arrival of "Acquittator".

"To name a personality so divisive and who despises magistrates to this point is a declaration of war on the judiciary," said Céline Parisot, president of the Union of Magistrates' Union. "Éric Dupond-Moretti seems to hate magistrates whom he does not hesitate to insult regularly."

Aware of its liabilities with the magistrates, the "big mouth" of the courtrooms wanted to defuse any conflict during his transfer of power with his predecessor Nicole Belloubet. He said he wanted to be a minister of "dialogue" who leads "no one to war" and who "will finally bring the reform of the prosecution" to guarantee the independence of justice, in a speech that looks like a road map.

"I do not make war on anyone", answers Eric Dupond-Moretti to the magistrates

Unions await action

"This is essentially what we expect," reacted to AFP Céline Parisot. "He reaches out, he could not do otherwise. […] If within two years, he leads to a reform of the prosecution, it would already be a small revolution", noted the magistrate who wants the minister to pass "from speech to action ".

"We noted in the speech of our Keeper of the Seals this morning. We are delighted," said Sophie Legrand, national secretary of the Syndicat de la magistrature (SM, ranked on the left). "We are not in a logic of war and sterile opposition lawyers / magistrates [...] The beginnings of announcements made can be positive, we are now waiting for the acts."

Eric Dupont-Moretti, new Keeper of the Seals: the magistrates' union welcomes an "opening to dialogue"

"We do not hide the fact that our Keeper of the Buckets has in the past made very harsh comments about the judiciary. However, we do not wish to have a priori principle to be in a positive construction of justice."

The "many words" made by Eric Dupond-Moretti when he was a lawyer "raise concerns and questions," said the National Conference of Public Prosecutors in a statement, recalling "his unwavering attachment to the membership of members of the public prosecutor in the body of the judiciary "and" the existence of the ENM (the national school of the judiciary which Eric Dupond-Moretti wished to be deleted in a book in 2018, editor's note) ".

Several files await the new minister

The challenges facing the new minister are numerous. During his program-like speech, Éric Dupond-Moretti presented the main thrusts of his future policy.

"I want to move forward on a project that is close to my heart: the independence of the judiciary. I want to be the Keeper of the Seals who will finally bring the long-awaited parquet floor reform to a conference," said the former lawyer. criminalist.

A major challenge: for years, the attachment of magistrates of the prosecution to the Chancellery has fueled criticism of an alleged lack of independence of the judiciary. But changing their status requires passing a constitutional revision, with the agreement of the National Assembly and the Senate, meeting in congress.

The new Keeper of the Seals also stressed the "inhuman and degrading living conditions" of prisoners in France, while ensuring the prison administration of his "unwavering support". He reserves for them his "first visit" as minister, after the social movement of prison guards who marked the mandate of Nicole Belloubet and will go in the afternoon to Fresnes prison (Val-de-Marne), according to a spokesperson for the Chancellery.

Again, unions await action. Like the DM who pleads for a numerus clausus in the prisons: if a new inmate enters while the system is overcapacity, another inmate must go out with a focus on reintegration.

Finally, the Minister of Justice also inherits the Belloubet reform. He therefore finds himself in charge of its application when he nevertheless strongly opposed flagship measures such as departmental criminal courts, to try crimes punished with 15 to 20 years in prison instead of assizes. "It is the death of the assize court", had denounced the lawyer who won dozens of acquittals before popular juries.

"We are waiting to see how it will position itself," notes Sophie Legrand. While the new minister pleads for justice close to the citizen, "the latest reform" has helped to distance him, "said the secretary general of the SM." We would like a break with this project on certain points. "

Éric Dupond-Moretti also announced that he wanted to reflect "on the presumption of innocence and the secrecy of the investigation", by associating "journalists" with it. "Justice does not go to the streets, nor on social networks, nor in the media," he said.

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