Post by Ghostopolis on Jul 1, 2018 23:32:48 GMT
The following are the rules established by the Court and binding on all matters brought before it.
Criminal Trials
1. The Court will have the discretion to accept or reject any indictments brought before it.
2. Any acceptance or rejection of indictments must be made publicly, and the Court will endeavor to respond within 48 hours of filing.
3. The Court will announce this decision through the Regional Forum and endeavor to inform the region through other in-game and off-site properties.
4. Indictments may only be rejected for procedural or substantive reasons, and these reasons must be fully explained in the public response to the indictment.
5. Rejected indictments may be resubmitted provided they be altered to address the reasons they were initially rejected.
6. When informing the Defendant of the charges, the Court will contact the Defendant through direct private message on whatever platform the Defendant utilizes most frequently.
7. When the trial is scheduled, the Court will structure the trial utilizing the following stages: plea submission, counsel selection, evidence submission, arguments, deliberation, sentencing.
8. The Justice hearing the case may ask questions in order to clarify elements of the case from either the Prosecution or Defense at any time.
9. The Court considers documentation as well as witness testimony to be acceptable evidence in criminal trials. A list of witnesses to be utilized for evidence must be presented during evidence submission.
10. The Court may request citizens or regional officials to provide documentation or testimony relevant to the case.
11. Evidence may be accepted or excluded at the discretion of the Justice hearing the case, provided both sides have had a chance to argue for their inclusion or exclusion.
12. Objections to evidence must clearly explain why the evidence should be excluded on the basis of Court procedure or general legal principles.
13. Documentation used as evidence may include forum posts and threads on or off-site, Regional Message Board posts, chat logs of conversations that took place off-site, or screenshots of any of the preceding, and must be authenticated.
14. Forum posts and threads and Regional Message Board posts will be considered authenticated provided the Justice hearing the case is able to view them in their original location in an unedited form. If the posts have been edited, they may be authenticated through screenshots showing their unedited form or simply through witness testimony.
15. All chatlogs and screenshots must be authenticated through witness testimony.
16. The Justice hearing the case may waive authentication requirements for individual pieces of evidence if deemed appropriate, provided they clearly explain the reason for doing so.
17. Witness testimony must be provided in the form of a statement or deposition, and must begin with the following oath from the witness: "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
18. Statements may be given during the evidence submission stage, or directly to the Justice hearing the case to be posted by the Justice during proceedings.
19. Depositions may be requested by either side of a case in the form of a motion during evidence submission, and are required in the event a witness will not be available during a scheduled trial. Both parties will have the opportunity to question the witness, and to object to the questions asked by the other party. The witness may not answer a question until any objections are either sustained or overruled by the Justice, in which case the witness will not answer the question. If an objection is made, the party asking the question may withdraw it. Any questions not overruled or withdrawn must be answered by the witness.
20. Depositions of witnesses who cannot participate in the trial during its scheduled time must be conducted either in a separate thread on the forum or another off-site property. The Justice hearing the case must be present along with both parties. A record of the deposition must then be presented in the trial thread.
Civil Trials
1. The Court will have the discretion to accept or reject any complaints brought before it.
2. Any acceptance or rejection of complaints must be made publicly, and the Court will endeavor to respond within 48 hours of filing.
3. The Court will announce this decision through the Regional Forum and endeavor to inform the region through other in-game and off-site properties.
4. Complaints may only be rejected for procedural or substantive reasons, and these reasons must be fully explained in the public response to the complaint.
5. Rejected complaints may be resubmitted provided they be altered to address the reasons they were initially rejected.
6. When informing the Defendant of the charges, the Court will contact the Defendant through direct private message on whatever platform the Defendant utilizes most frequently.
7. When the trial is scheduled, the Court will structure the trial utilizing the following stages: counsel selection, evidence submission, arguments, deliberation, decision.
8. The Justice hearing the case may ask questions in order to clarify elements of the case from either party at any time.
9. The Court considers documentation as well as witness testimony to be acceptable evidence in civil trials. A list of witnesses to be utilized for evidence must be presented during evidence submission.
10. The Court may request citizens or regional officials to provide documentation or testimony relevant to the case.
11. Evidence may be accepted or excluded at the discretion of the Justice hearing the case, provided both sides have had a chance to argue for their inclusion or exclusion.
12. Objections to evidence must clearly explain why the evidence should be excluded on the basis of Court procedure or general legal principles.
13. Documentation used as evidence may include forum posts and threads on or off-site, Regional Message Board posts, chat logs of conversations that took place off-site, or screenshots of any of the preceding, and must be authenticated.
14. Forum posts and threads and Regional Message Board posts will be considered authenticated provided the Justice hearing the case is able to view them in their original location in an unedited form. If the posts have been edited, they may be authenticated through screenshots showing their unedited form or simply through witness testimony.
15. All chatlogs and screenshots must be authenticated through witness testimony.
16. The Justice hearing the case may waive authentication requirements for individual pieces of evidence if deemed appropriate, provided they clearly explain the reason for doing so.
17. Witness testimony must be provided in the form of a statement or deposition, and must begin with the following oath from the witness: "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
18. Statements may be given during the evidence submission stage, or directly to the Justice hearing the case to be posted by the Justice during proceedings.
19. Depositions may be requested by either side of a case in the form of a motion during evidence submission, and are required in the event a witness will not be available during a scheduled trial. Both parties will have the opportunity to question the witness, and to object to the questions asked by the other party. The witness may not answer a question until any objections are either sustained or overruled by the Justice, in which case the witness will not answer the question. If an objection is made, the party asking the question may withdraw it. Any questions not overruled or withdrawn must be answered by the witness.
20. Depositions of witnesses who cannot participate in the trial during its scheduled time must be conducted either in a separate thread on the forum or another off-site property. The Justice hearing the case must be present along with both parties. A record of the deposition must then be presented in the trial thread.
Judicial Review
The Court will endeavor to render an opinion on a matter under judicial review within five days after the end of the allotted time for submitting briefs.
Decorum
1. All indictments, petitions to the Court, briefs, Court decisions, and any other official filings must follow established template, if in place.
2. All parties must be on their best behavior and remain civil and courteous when engaging with the Court and each other during a case, following all legal and procedural rules. The Court may disregard or remove posts that are in keeping with this standard.
3. The Justice hearing a case may rule an individual to be in contempt in a particular issue before the Court. Such individuals may have their motions denied on this basis. Forum Administration will take steps to prevent the individual in contempt from continuing to participate in the trial if necessary.
4. A finding of contempt may be appealed using the same process for appeals outlined in the Legal Code.
5. The Justice hearing the case will not post in public about ongoing cases unless those posts are official announcements related to the Court of the particular case.
6. Justices will endeavor to recuse themselves from matters where they have a conflict of interest.
Privacy
1. During Court proceedings, the Court will ensure private information is protected.
2. Protected private information includes: real life information about players that may reveal or lead one to determine their real life identity or other information not intended to be disclosed to the public, including but not limited to their name, IP address, physical address or location, phone number, place of employment or education, physical appearance, social media; real life information about players for which there is a reasonable expectation of privacy or discretion, including but not limited to physical or mental health status, financial status, personal tragedy, changes in status such as marriage, divorce, pregnancy, birth or death; information that would jeopardize any ongoing regional military or intelligence operations, or the security of the individuals participating in them; information that would be harmful to the diplomatic, military, or security interests of The Versutian Federation.
3. Private information of the preceding kind will not be released or declassified. This may necessitate the withholding of entire court threads or public threads with private information or posts redacted.
Precedent
Prior Court decisions are binding until formally overturned in a subsequent judicial review case, but the Court cannot proactively overturn a previous ruling. Court action is only taken in response to petition or appeal.
Appeals
1. The Court will accept applications for appeal provided the conditions for appeal are met as provided by law.
2. Appellate procedure will then mirror the criminal or civil trial procedure outlined above, depending on the nature of the case being appealed, but only the questions raised by the appeal may be considered, not the original facts of the case.
Criminal Trials
1. The Court will have the discretion to accept or reject any indictments brought before it.
2. Any acceptance or rejection of indictments must be made publicly, and the Court will endeavor to respond within 48 hours of filing.
3. The Court will announce this decision through the Regional Forum and endeavor to inform the region through other in-game and off-site properties.
4. Indictments may only be rejected for procedural or substantive reasons, and these reasons must be fully explained in the public response to the indictment.
5. Rejected indictments may be resubmitted provided they be altered to address the reasons they were initially rejected.
6. When informing the Defendant of the charges, the Court will contact the Defendant through direct private message on whatever platform the Defendant utilizes most frequently.
7. When the trial is scheduled, the Court will structure the trial utilizing the following stages: plea submission, counsel selection, evidence submission, arguments, deliberation, sentencing.
8. The Justice hearing the case may ask questions in order to clarify elements of the case from either the Prosecution or Defense at any time.
9. The Court considers documentation as well as witness testimony to be acceptable evidence in criminal trials. A list of witnesses to be utilized for evidence must be presented during evidence submission.
10. The Court may request citizens or regional officials to provide documentation or testimony relevant to the case.
11. Evidence may be accepted or excluded at the discretion of the Justice hearing the case, provided both sides have had a chance to argue for their inclusion or exclusion.
12. Objections to evidence must clearly explain why the evidence should be excluded on the basis of Court procedure or general legal principles.
13. Documentation used as evidence may include forum posts and threads on or off-site, Regional Message Board posts, chat logs of conversations that took place off-site, or screenshots of any of the preceding, and must be authenticated.
14. Forum posts and threads and Regional Message Board posts will be considered authenticated provided the Justice hearing the case is able to view them in their original location in an unedited form. If the posts have been edited, they may be authenticated through screenshots showing their unedited form or simply through witness testimony.
15. All chatlogs and screenshots must be authenticated through witness testimony.
16. The Justice hearing the case may waive authentication requirements for individual pieces of evidence if deemed appropriate, provided they clearly explain the reason for doing so.
17. Witness testimony must be provided in the form of a statement or deposition, and must begin with the following oath from the witness: "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
18. Statements may be given during the evidence submission stage, or directly to the Justice hearing the case to be posted by the Justice during proceedings.
19. Depositions may be requested by either side of a case in the form of a motion during evidence submission, and are required in the event a witness will not be available during a scheduled trial. Both parties will have the opportunity to question the witness, and to object to the questions asked by the other party. The witness may not answer a question until any objections are either sustained or overruled by the Justice, in which case the witness will not answer the question. If an objection is made, the party asking the question may withdraw it. Any questions not overruled or withdrawn must be answered by the witness.
20. Depositions of witnesses who cannot participate in the trial during its scheduled time must be conducted either in a separate thread on the forum or another off-site property. The Justice hearing the case must be present along with both parties. A record of the deposition must then be presented in the trial thread.
Civil Trials
1. The Court will have the discretion to accept or reject any complaints brought before it.
2. Any acceptance or rejection of complaints must be made publicly, and the Court will endeavor to respond within 48 hours of filing.
3. The Court will announce this decision through the Regional Forum and endeavor to inform the region through other in-game and off-site properties.
4. Complaints may only be rejected for procedural or substantive reasons, and these reasons must be fully explained in the public response to the complaint.
5. Rejected complaints may be resubmitted provided they be altered to address the reasons they were initially rejected.
6. When informing the Defendant of the charges, the Court will contact the Defendant through direct private message on whatever platform the Defendant utilizes most frequently.
7. When the trial is scheduled, the Court will structure the trial utilizing the following stages: counsel selection, evidence submission, arguments, deliberation, decision.
8. The Justice hearing the case may ask questions in order to clarify elements of the case from either party at any time.
9. The Court considers documentation as well as witness testimony to be acceptable evidence in civil trials. A list of witnesses to be utilized for evidence must be presented during evidence submission.
10. The Court may request citizens or regional officials to provide documentation or testimony relevant to the case.
11. Evidence may be accepted or excluded at the discretion of the Justice hearing the case, provided both sides have had a chance to argue for their inclusion or exclusion.
12. Objections to evidence must clearly explain why the evidence should be excluded on the basis of Court procedure or general legal principles.
13. Documentation used as evidence may include forum posts and threads on or off-site, Regional Message Board posts, chat logs of conversations that took place off-site, or screenshots of any of the preceding, and must be authenticated.
14. Forum posts and threads and Regional Message Board posts will be considered authenticated provided the Justice hearing the case is able to view them in their original location in an unedited form. If the posts have been edited, they may be authenticated through screenshots showing their unedited form or simply through witness testimony.
15. All chatlogs and screenshots must be authenticated through witness testimony.
16. The Justice hearing the case may waive authentication requirements for individual pieces of evidence if deemed appropriate, provided they clearly explain the reason for doing so.
17. Witness testimony must be provided in the form of a statement or deposition, and must begin with the following oath from the witness: "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
18. Statements may be given during the evidence submission stage, or directly to the Justice hearing the case to be posted by the Justice during proceedings.
19. Depositions may be requested by either side of a case in the form of a motion during evidence submission, and are required in the event a witness will not be available during a scheduled trial. Both parties will have the opportunity to question the witness, and to object to the questions asked by the other party. The witness may not answer a question until any objections are either sustained or overruled by the Justice, in which case the witness will not answer the question. If an objection is made, the party asking the question may withdraw it. Any questions not overruled or withdrawn must be answered by the witness.
20. Depositions of witnesses who cannot participate in the trial during its scheduled time must be conducted either in a separate thread on the forum or another off-site property. The Justice hearing the case must be present along with both parties. A record of the deposition must then be presented in the trial thread.
Judicial Review
The Court will endeavor to render an opinion on a matter under judicial review within five days after the end of the allotted time for submitting briefs.
Decorum
1. All indictments, petitions to the Court, briefs, Court decisions, and any other official filings must follow established template, if in place.
2. All parties must be on their best behavior and remain civil and courteous when engaging with the Court and each other during a case, following all legal and procedural rules. The Court may disregard or remove posts that are in keeping with this standard.
3. The Justice hearing a case may rule an individual to be in contempt in a particular issue before the Court. Such individuals may have their motions denied on this basis. Forum Administration will take steps to prevent the individual in contempt from continuing to participate in the trial if necessary.
4. A finding of contempt may be appealed using the same process for appeals outlined in the Legal Code.
5. The Justice hearing the case will not post in public about ongoing cases unless those posts are official announcements related to the Court of the particular case.
6. Justices will endeavor to recuse themselves from matters where they have a conflict of interest.
Privacy
1. During Court proceedings, the Court will ensure private information is protected.
2. Protected private information includes: real life information about players that may reveal or lead one to determine their real life identity or other information not intended to be disclosed to the public, including but not limited to their name, IP address, physical address or location, phone number, place of employment or education, physical appearance, social media; real life information about players for which there is a reasonable expectation of privacy or discretion, including but not limited to physical or mental health status, financial status, personal tragedy, changes in status such as marriage, divorce, pregnancy, birth or death; information that would jeopardize any ongoing regional military or intelligence operations, or the security of the individuals participating in them; information that would be harmful to the diplomatic, military, or security interests of The Versutian Federation.
3. Private information of the preceding kind will not be released or declassified. This may necessitate the withholding of entire court threads or public threads with private information or posts redacted.
Precedent
Prior Court decisions are binding until formally overturned in a subsequent judicial review case, but the Court cannot proactively overturn a previous ruling. Court action is only taken in response to petition or appeal.
Appeals
1. The Court will accept applications for appeal provided the conditions for appeal are met as provided by law.
2. Appellate procedure will then mirror the criminal or civil trial procedure outlined above, depending on the nature of the case being appealed, but only the questions raised by the appeal may be considered, not the original facts of the case.