Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) said it is pleased that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is investigating a policy aimed at bringing more women to the bench. The policy would regulate the appointment of acting judges – one of the biggest stepping stones to being appointed as a full-time judge.While women make up over 50% of the South African population‚ statistics gathered by the Office of the Chief Justice show that there were only 86 women judges in a total of 241 judges in South Africa.“If women cannot get access to acting judge positions‚ it makes permanent appointment that much more difficult. It has never been very clear what exactly the criteria are for becoming an acting judge‚ or how the process works‚” LHR said in a statement.The organisation said heads of courts have complete discretion in making recommendations to the minister of justice.The new policy envisages clear guidelines and a list of candidates‚ including a pool of women‚ from which judge presidents will choose acting candidates.“It is high time that the criteria and process for appointing acting judges are regulated.“If we are serious about gender parity on the bench‚ every player should be able to see the goal posts. A transparent process means a fairer one.” said Sanja Bornman of the LHR’s Gender Equality Programme. – TMG Digital..