(http://i.imgur.com/gZ2KOZC.png?2)
Members
President and Prime Minister
Gandalf and Aragorn ([Rstar]Ronnel and [Rstar]RON)
The President and Prime Minister are the chief legislators and justices for the entire nation. As such, they are the ultimate authority in all court decisions, though tend to intervene only when absolutely necessary for the proper functioning of the nation.
Chief Justice
[WS]Stormeus (http://www.argonathrpg.eu/index.php?action=profile;u=13214)
The Chief Justice is the head of the judicial branch of Vice City, and presides over its court system. The Chief Judge remains an active judge of the court hearing and deciding cases, but at his or her discretion may choose to take on a reduced caseload to provide time to perform administrative responsibilities.
Judges
Andrew Banks (http://www.argonathrpg.eu/index.php?action=profile;u=13146), PulseEffect (http://www.argonathrpg.eu/index.php?action=profile;u=12330)
Judges are appointed by the President, Prime Minister, and the Chief Justice. The powers, functions, and training of judges may vary depending on whether judges are specialized in certain areas of the law, and what specializations they possess. Judges hear cases and use evidence and testimony presented by all parties to reach a verdict, and has the authority to leverage fees and jail sentences against parties as part of a verdict.
Lawyers
Marco_Soprano (http://www.argonathrpg.eu/index.php?action=profile;u=5145), [NAR]Klaus (http://www.argonathrpg.eu/index.php?action=profile;u=2530), Alarba (http://www.argonathrpg.eu/index.php?action=profile;u=4791), Nylez (http://www.argonathrpg.eu/index.php?action=profile;u=14778)
Lawyers are appointed by the court system to ensure that all citizens can have a fair trial. Citizens who cannot afford a private attorney may pay a fee of $2,500 for civil cases or $250 for criminal cases to have a public attorney represent them. These lawyers are trained in the law and are expected to solve their clients' problems to the best of their ability.
Clerks
None
Clerks are members of the court system who specialize in paperwork tasks. These members cannot preside over a court case as a normal judge would, but are able to process applications for contracts and trademarks. This position largely serves as an introduction to the legal system to those with no experience, and as a way to reduce the likelihood of paperwork going unprocessed.
Courts
There are two courts of law in Vice City: the trial court and the supreme court.
Trial Court
The first court to accept a case, and accepts almost all civil and criminal cases and applications. Cases in the trial court are presided over by a single judge, other than the Chief Justice.
Supreme Court
For appeals of trial court decisions, cases concerning national matters, or in the event that the trial court is unable to accept a case, the Supreme Court accepts cases as well. Unless the President or Prime Minister intervene, rulings made by the Supreme Court are final and cannot be appealed any further. Cases in the Supreme Court are presided over by a panel of up to three justices who make a joint decision.
Rules
- Judges who do not appear at trial without prior notice will receive up to two warnings before being removed from the panel.
- Players involved in a case may attempt to reschedule a trial, but doing so excessively or refusing to appear to trial will result in a $200 fee and the likelihood of an automatic ruling in favor of the opposing party.
- Plaintiffs must initiate cases in this forum.
- Judges may not, under any circumstances, oversee a case where a conflict of interest is present.
- Judges who are part of the police force may not oversee police-related matters.
- Judges with ties to criminal organizations may not oversee criminal cases.
- Judges who own a business may not preside over a case involving said business or its affiliates.
- etc.
Case filings should answer the following questions in some way:
- Who are the plaintiffs?
- Who are the defendants?
- What is your case?
- When did the incident happen? (if applicable)
- Have you hired a lawyer yet? If so, who? If not, are you representing yourself or using a court-appointed lawyer?