The (SM; English: Union of the Magistracy) is

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

's second largest

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

in terms of membership after the more conservative

Union syndicale des magistrats The Union syndicale des magistrats, commonly abbreviated as USM, is the French largest (and majoritarian) magistrates trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an ...

(USM). It was founded on 8 June 1968 in the direct aftermath of the

May 68 May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...

events.

Political positions

The Syndicat de la Magistrature is considered close to left-wing parties such as the Socialist Party, historically, as well as

La France Insoumise La France Insoumise (LFI or FI; , ) is a left-wing political party in France. It was launched in 2016 by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and former co-president of the Left Party (PG). It aims to implement th ...

in more recent years. It favours a larger independence of the

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

from the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

. It has criticised

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

laws it considers severe, " police violence", as well as fast-tracking trials in case of immediate admission of guilt. Amid the 2005 civil unrest in neighbourhoods throughout the country with large immigrant populations, the union criticised then-Interior Minister

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

's use of what it saw as inappropriate language. In the 2012 presidential election, it called to defeat Sarkozy."Le Syndicat de la magistrature paie pour son «mur des cons»"
''

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

'', 18 July 2013. The is member of

Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés (MEDEL; English: European Judges for Democracy and Liberty) is a European association of judges and public prosecutors, set up in 1985 to promote a progressive vision of justice in Europ ...

(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 former President Nicolas Sarkozy), were insulted through pinned photographs with comments. Justice Minister

Christiane Taubira Christiane Marie Taubira (; born 2 February 1952) is a French politician who served as Minister of Justice of France in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean-Marc Ayrault and Manuel Valls under President François Hollande from 2012 until 20 ...

reacted to the affair by calling the comments on the wall "unbearable, stupid and unhealthy", stating in front of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

that she would ask for an investigation into any possible ethics breaches to get "rid (…) of the suspicion that weighs on he judiciary'simpartiality". In 2019, the union's former chairwoman Françoise Martres was found guilty of public insults by a Paris appellate court. Although it was not established that she had participated herself, she was held responsible for the insults. The affair has been deemed "disatrous" for the judiciary as a whole, giving it a politicised image. The union has since largely lost its standing with the public. Its criticism in 2020 of newly-appointed Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti went ignored by President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

. Dupond-Moretti would later himself state that the affair was "pathetic" for the union, arguing it does not represent the judiciary as a whole.""Ce n'est pas la justice": Éric Dupond-Moretti s'en prend au Syndicat de la Magistrature"
BFM TV, 14 September 2023.

References

External links

*
Official website
Politics of France Trade unions in France {{France-org-stub