The NUGC Judicial System exists to insure
that the Rules, Standards, and Conventions of the
United Guilds Council are upheld by it's members,
including IC laws. It does this by providing a place
for those who wish to bring charges or note possible
rules infractions against individuals or Guilds. The
Judiciary Court is an impartial judge on all matters
pertaining to Rules, Standards, Laws and Conventions
violations. It shall decide cases on an individual
basis, the Rules and Conventions of the NUGC being the
highest Law. In cases where there is no clear-cut
infraction against NUGC Rules, or IC Laws, then the
Rhydin Codes of Conduct & Honor will serve as a
guideline. All members of the NUGC agree to abide by
the ruling of the Judiciary Court, and it's decisions
are final and binding. Only with good reason will an
appeal be concidered. Wether it be NUGC rules
violations, or SL related matters, the Judicial System
shall review and consider all evidence brought before
it.
Make-up
The Judiciary Court is comprised of the following
officials:
Chief Justice
Judges
Special Prosecutors
Public Defenders
Clerk of Courts
The Chief Justice is the NUGC official who presides
over all matters brought before the Court. This
person is appointed by the High Chancellor, and the
duties are(but not limited to) the following:
Ensure the Courts are run efficently,
and that things are being done in an
impartial and timely fashion.
Document & announce precedent setting
rulings so that all in the NUGC are aware of any that
might affect their actions.
Co-ordinate with the High Chancellor, so
that all new rules and laws are carefully concidered.
Record & announce official decisions of
all cases brought before the Courts.
Also, the Chief Justice acts as Clerk of
Courts when that position is vacant.
The Judges are members of the NUGC who will serve as
the judicial representative in all matters brought
before the Court. They deliver a verdict upon each
case after all sides have been concidered & record
their verdict with the Chief Justice. They may do
their own investigations on cases brought before the
Court, and ask questions of parties during hearings.
They are appointed by the High Chancellor. To be
appointed for the post of Judge, you must meet the
following criteria: Must have a thorough knowledge of
the NUGC rules and laws, and the Rhydin Codes of
Conduct & Honor. Must be an active member of the
NUGC. Must have a mun with time and a fair attitude
towards others. Once these criteria have been
determined, one must petition the High Chancellor.
The NUGC Special Prosecutors are officials of the
Court who investigate all charges brought before the
Court. The number of these prosecutors will vary at
times, depending upon case-load. The Special
Prosecutors are appointed by the High Chancellor and
may undergo training and supervison before being
granted their status. The Special Prosecutors act as
advocates for the NUGC, presenting arguments &
sentence recomendation before the Court.
The Public Defenders are officials of the Court
who activly defend an individual who has been accused
by a member of the NUGC Council. A Public Defender is
appointed by the Chief Justice or clerk of Courts to
represent the accused, or he/she may request his/her
own Council, a private Lawyer. The public Defender is
responsible for gathering all evidence for the
Defendant and presenting it at Trial, to prove their
innocence. The Public Defender, under written
permission from the Defendant, may appear without the
Defendant IF Defendant has just cause for not
appearing and the Judge, Special Prosecutor, and
Public Defender agree. However, the Defendant must
before the trial, have a meeting between Public
Defender and Special Prosecutor to record his/her
*testimony*.
The Clerk of Courts acts as the Chief Justice's
assistant. He/She records all matters which come
before the courts. They are also responsible for
setting dates and times for hearings and assign
Hearing and court dates for cases to be heard. They
also determine the validity of each case brought
before the Court, so that frivolous or un-
substantiated charges can be thrown out, thus easing
the work-load of the Court. The Court Clerk also
assigna Prosecutors to investigate alleged rules
violations & law infractions. All Court related
matters must be sent to the Clerk of Courts for
recording and keeping a record of.
Process:
It is the priveledge of any member of the NUGC to
bring charges for cause against any other. These
charges can range from either an accusation of
cheating (examles: using illegal proggies for
fighting, or willfully misleading the NUGC as to Guild
composition or ranks), to charges of individuals
acting in a manner not permitted by the Rules & Laws
of the NUGC. All charges brought forward must be of a
form that can be substantiated (i.e hersay is not
allowed). Any continued frivolous use of this
privledge will result in charges being brought against
the offender for misuse of NUGC priveledges.
The following process must be followed for the
Judiciary Court to take official action:
1) Submit a written request to the Chief Justice
or Court Clerk detailing the name and (where
applicatble)Guild of the accused, & the nature of the
infraction.
2) Submit any and all proof the accusor has in
his/her possession to the Court Clerk for review.
The Court Clerk will then asign a Special
Prosecutor to investigate the charges, & based on the
recommendations of the Special Prosecutor, inform the
accusor of the disposition of the case. If the
charges are determined to be valid, the Judge then
proceeds with a Hearing, where all sides & arguments
may be heard. This Hearing may take the form of e-
mail corespondence, or an actual time may be set
asside for a trial to take place....depending on the
nature of the offense. If the Case should warrant
punishment, then the Judge and councilors (attorneys)
will meet to decide the exact composition of the
punishment. The Judiciary will always endeavor to
decide the final disposition of each case in under a
week's time.....but it cannot guarantee it will act in
a timely fashion if the case is complicated.
Once the disposition of the case has been
determined, the Judge will announce first to the
Accused & Accusor, then to the NUGC as a whole, the
outcome of the case. Any appeal must be filed within
seven days of the announcement to the High Chancellor,
but even should an appeal be filed, the verdict of the
Court stands unless overturned at a later time.
If the Defendant does not appear for trial,
without proper notice to the Court (Chief Justice,
Special Prosecutor, and Public Defender) and without
at least 24 hours prior notification, or fails to
follow through with the punishment of the Court,
further actions will be taken.
Example Case:
The case starts on time in a Court Room. The two
Justices, or single justice, enter along with the
Clerk of Courts who logs the Trial. The Judge should
also be logging the trial.
When all are in place, the Acting Justice
says, "An enclosed hearing is being held this 1st day
of January, 1999, in said "room", all present please
state for the record your presence"
Defendant (ex: BadGuy) would state: Present
Plaintiff (ex. GoodGuy) would state: Present
The Prosecuting Attorney would state: Present and
representing Plaintiff
The Defense Attorney would state: Present and
representing Defendant
The Acting Justice continues to say: "In the
matter of BadGuy vs Goodguy, I, name of the Acting
Justice here a NUGC Court Justice have been assigned
to conduct the above forementioned matter, along with
Justice "name". (If only one Judge can be available at
the time, this line is dropped). This matter is being
held pursuant to the filing of Plaintiff's
Complaint."
"Both counsel have submitted all exhibits necessary,
is this correct?"
Both Counsels should agree and then the Justice
say, "We are now prepared to start with any opening
statements that either counsel would like to address
the Court with."
Counsel for the Plaintiff will go first
Counsel for the Defendant second
After statements are made (statements should be
brief), open court will resume, and both sides will
present their facts, any questions will be handled,
witnesses if any...etc.....closing statements.There
should be a brief recess.....in closed chambers, where
the two justices will make their decision after
reviewing all the evidence. Then the Justice comes out
and address's the Courtroom; speaking their piece, any
laws that pertain to the decision, and hands out the
verdict.....period. End of case.
Note- If anyone speaks out of turn, they should
be warned. If they continue to speak out, the Justice
may fine them. If the case is over a Rule, the fine is
exp, if over a NUGC law, the fine is gold. 1st
offence fine- 500 to 5,000 exp / 100 to 500 NUGC Gold.
2nd offence- 1,000 to 10,000 exp / 100 to 1,500 gold.
3rd offense- expulsion from NUGC, or 1,000 to 15,000
exp / 100 to 5,000 Gold. Note that Gold can be done in
enhancers, as well. A member without the needed Gold
can be placed into Slavery to the NUGC. A person
placed is then sold for auction, conducted by the High
Chancellor. The time of slavery is 100 gold payed off
per week of slavery.