All members of the judiciary share several traditional rights and responsibilities:

Post polls and discussion on interpretations of the Constitution, Code of Laws, and Code of Standards.
Do not have Deputies but may appoint Pro-Tem officials (Pro-Tem Justice, Pro-Tem Defendant and Pro-Tem Advocate) if they are unable to fulfill their duties. Pro-Tem officials have all of the rights and responsibilities of the officials they are filling in for but are a temporary position and must surrender their pro-tem status upon the request of the official.
Participate in Judicial Review to determine the legality of proposed amendments, laws and standards.
Initiate and participate in Judicial Review to interpret and clarify existing amendments, laws and standards.
Initiate and participate in Judicial Review to dismiss investigations as having "No Merit".
Post Legislative polls that have passed Judicial Review.

The following duties are assigned to the Associate Justice:

Is tasked with ensuring all public investigations are performed correctly with deference to the presumed innocence of the accused.
Will ensure that the accused understands the charges against them and what rules were purportedly broken so the accused can mount a valid defense.
Will perform as defender, if so wished by the accused.

The following duties are assigned to the Chief Justice:

Perform as needed in the positions of Public Defender and Judge Advocate in the absence of either official.
Is responsible for posting the current census at the beginning of each term.
Is responsible for updating and maintaining the Judicial Log.
Is responsible for monitoring investigation threads to keep them on topic and accurate.

Please Accept or Decline any nominations you receive.

Yours,
The Election Office

I wish to nominate Peri for this poistion.

I second peri and Nominate Bootstoots and Zorven

I'll also nominate Peri for this post, and include Bill_in_PDX and DaveShack in my nomination list.

-- Ravensfire

Wow. Thanks for the support. I would be honoured to accept your nomination. :)

I decline, I am running for re-election as President. Thank for the nomination.

I will second Bill_in_PDX and DaveShack and will nominate Ravensfire.

I will support Peri for this position :)

I would like to nominate a few people if that is ok. :)
(In alphabetical order) Cyc, Donsig, DZ, RM, RoddyVR and Wlievens.
I would also encourage anyone else to stand who has an interest in the judiciary. It is not very glamorous but there is lots to do and it is fun. :)

I Decline. I am not a man for the Judiciary.

Thanks for the nomination anyway.

Thanks DZ, but I will Decline. One term of madness is enough for me. I'll be putting some energy into correcting some of the holes that have been found.

-- Ravensfire

I cant blame you Ravensfire, this position from what I have seen is just insane to deal with...

I would like to nominate myself for this possition but I wish to remain Undecided

I must decline, as I am running for FA.

I support Peri for this position.

I would like to annouce my own self nomination and acceptance. :)

I feel it's time I jumped back in the legal side of things, mainly to straighten out some things I feel need a bit of ironing.

No thank you, Peri. I'll Decline here too. :) I served my sentance.

I'll support Peri also.

Question for the candidates:

1. One issue that keeps returning over and over is the role of unwritten "traditions" in Fanatican law. What is your position on this question?

2. In the past two terms, there have been times of resounding criticism from citizens, with no action from those same citizens to correct what they believe to be wrong. What do you plan to do to reduce this?

3. How thick is your skin? :D

-- Ravensfire

If it's not too late I will accept the nomination. If I wasn't really nominated then I'll nominate my self and accept.

1. Some I like, some I don't. I have no problem using the laws as they are written to hinder those unwritten traditions that I detest.

2. Nothing can be done to get the Congress off it's behind. As a member of the judiciary I would continue to point out the flaws in our laws and get as much of the invalidated laws off the books as possible. Though it seems that we have a couple recalcitrant mods who will not edit the Three Books when the Judiciary legally renders a section of it unconstitutional.

3. It gets thicker every demogame.

Originally posted by donsig
1. Some I like, some I don't. I have no problem using the laws as they are written to hinder those unwritten traditions that I detest.



What about hindering those unwritten traditions you agree with?

Originally posted by zorven

What about hindering those unwritten traditions you agree with?

Why would I do that zorven? Aren't there enough out there who detest the few traditions I agree with? Let them use the laws to hinder the traditions I agree with. If we hinder all the unwritten traditions enough to get them encapsulated in valid laws then we'll have quite a few less legal problems in our little democracy.

I will accept this nomination. A position on the bench offers a chance to influence the game and attempt to recenter it on actual play, without the 2-3 times a week deadline of a leader position.

As for the debate questions,

The importance of tradition lies mainly in its ability to give us cues about what worked and did not work in the past. I say cues, because prior games were played by different sets of people, under a different group psychology. In this light, traditions should be considered when making decisions about what the current rules mean, but only to the point that they reveal the context in which the law was written.

An important function of the judiciary should be to lead discussion on proposals to improve our laws. This does not mean that the justices should make laws per se, just that they should provide guidance to the citizens on how to accomplish legal goals.

I have witnessed many heated discussions, and taken up the torch of one side or another, but have little to fear in the area of becoming a target. One of the extremely important roles of the judiciary is to remain above the battle so that a fair and impartial decision can be rendered. I liken it to being a referee -- you know the opposing sides aren't necessarily going to be your best buddies, but at least you'll have their respect.

In reponse to ravensfire:

1. Honestly, if I did have my way, we'd run Fanatica on these traditions and forget all about maintaining such a complex ruleset. But, there's something about the mentality of this game that prevents that.

As I see it, though, this is nothing for the judiciary to handle. It must operate with the reasonable limit of the law. If anything, we should try to get these traditions written down somewhere.

2. I'll do what I've always done in these situations: Tell it to them like it is. If I see a problem, I will not hesitate to point it out, in at least a polite manner. It's never best to simply ignore a problem.

3. After what I handled in DGs1 and 2, I'm ready for whatever you guys decide to throw at me. :)

1. One issue that keeps returning over and over is the role of unwritten "traditions" in Fanatican law. What is your position on this question?


You need to be a bit more specific please.


2. In the past two terms, there have been times of resounding criticism from citizens, with no action from those same citizens to correct what they believe to be wrong. What do you plan to do to reduce this?

Dont you mean help the citizens to rectify the problems?


3. How thick is your skin? :D

That rather a double edged question isn't it? :D