Judges in Shenzhen are opting to retire early, due to mounting work pressure brought about by the city's rising crime rate.
The number of lawsuits received by Shenzhen courts had risen 66.17 per cent in the past five years, Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court president Deng Qilian told members of the Shenzhen People's Congress yesterday.
At least 75 judges had resigned or opted for early retirement during that time because they could not cope with the pressure, he said.
Shenzhen courts have held more than 416,000 hearings since 2000.
Many trials have been postponed because of a lack of judges. The average number of cases a judge has to handle each year increased from 73.1 five years ago to 157 last year.
Many district courts have been forced to extend their opening hours into the evening to cope with the sharp increase in lawsuits.
Mr Deng said district judges and court police had been asked to cancel their holidays and take extra shifts since September.
