Sheikh Saleh Bin Humaid, the president of the Supreme Judicial Council, has said that there is no regional or university bias in the appointment of judges. “Any Saudi qualified for a job has a right to it, even in the judiciary,” Bin Humaid said. According to Al-Watan Arabic daily Bin Humaid said that the Supreme Judicial Council was currently expanding its appointment of judges to include Shariah colleges and universities from across the Kingdom. Bin Humaid made the remarks at a gathering to celebrate the qualifying of 57 judges from a training program that concluded this week in Riyadh. The program involved courses in a variety of areas, among them communication skills, the art of problem solving, adaptation skills and managing a team. Speaking to Al-Hayat daily, Bin Humaid added that the number of judges currently stood at 1,400, and that the Kingdom's courtrooms were “in need of more”. He also appealed to the press to report judicial cases with “accuracy”, and that “sensationalism should not come at the expense of transparency”. Bin Humaid added that the press should refrain from reporting cases brought before the courts “until they are resolved”.
