¶ The High Court and Trial Procedures
High Judge Aurus Fidem: A former general of the Black Empire and cousin to Imperator Aereus of the Magnum Imperium, High Judge Aurus Fidem has chosen a life of justice over that of violence. He is a balance of sternness and compassion. Above all, he values justice.
High Judge SYMMETRY.619900.γ: A Visitant from the Echo Administration who integrated into Havenite society when they first arrived into Realspace. SYMMETRY is cold and calculated, and will decide based on an almost cruel objectiveness that seems, to them, logical. They say the best judge is one that is fair: but can one be “too” fair?
High Judge Sofia de Bianchi: A native Renderan, High Judge Bianchi is a member of one of the families managed by the head honchos of Rendera, the Guanciales. She tends to decide fairly, but has a clear bias towards Renderans or Corravians’ upper class.
High Judge Urnaris Oog: A Floran sage from Yggdrasil, High Judge Oog is a calm and traditional figure with a high regard for peace and spirituality. He is highly passive, refusing at all to sentence somebody to death. For minor crimes they would likely sentence community service, but nobody goes before the High Court for a minor crime.
High Judge Parietus Marrow: An aged skeleton from the Undercrypt, High Judge Marrow is a serious judge that tends to sentence rather harshly. He takes no bullshit from anybody. He was a former advisor to Gravelord Death of the Undercrypt, and as a skeleton, quite enjoys the concept of death.
The High Court of the Haven Federation was created as a means to fairly judge high-profile cases, and to challenge the constitutionality of certain laws passed by the Senate. Whether these are civil cases between two disagreeing parties or a criminal case to try somebody, the courtroom is often a battlefield of wits and who’s case has the most merit.
The High Court of Haven is led by a council of five High Judges that are appointed by the Grand Protector and confirmed by the Senate. These judges are chosen to mediate vary cases, usually one per case. When examining laws passed by the Senate, the entire Council meets. Though the High Council contains some degree of power, all accused in a criminal trial have the right to a Grand Jury of their peers. In civil cases, it is the decision of both the plaintiff and the defendant whether it they will use a jury or not. (Most trials will have up to six jurors, usually filled by players. The remaining are NPCs.) The High Court also settles disputes between districts.
Civil lawsuits are common in Haven law. Any entity in Haven can be sued by another for damages, such as a company, district, or citizen (in some cases a foreigner may sue). A citizen or company may even sue the Federal Government. In the case of companies or corporations, if a transstellar company has property or dealings in the Federation, they may be sued. (In RP, Haven uses a very simplified version of US law. If something seems illegal, it might be illegal. If you are not sure, ask in the Haven discord. To start a lawsuit, DM one of us.) Haven citizens are protected even in foreign territory; if they are wronged by a company while outside of Federation territory, they may still sue the company, so long as they have holdings in the Federation. For example, if somebody were injured in the SOLUS mine on Garlen due to negligence on SOLUS’ part, SOLUS Industries may be sued even though the negligence took place on Garlen. By performing business in the Haven Federation, companies have agreed to comply with the law of the Haven Federation, including the obligation to answer summons for court.
Player Option
Trials are sometimes roleplayed out through courtroom roleplay if the case is significant enough; these tend to be criminal trials with unclear facts that the Haven Guard must investigate and uncover. However, once the evidence is collected, then the battle in the courtroom begins. These trials will need prosecutors to persuade juries of the defendent's guilt, and defense attorneys that persuade the jury to acquit. Prosecutors, defenders, and jurors are all played by players, and roleplaying out the work of an attorney can be significant, especially in highly prolific trials. To register your character as an attorney, DM
PrivateNomad#0896.
¶ Trial procedure
First, the prosecution (or in a civil trial, the plaintiff) makes an opening statement. This outlines their case. Then the defense makes their opening statement.
Then, the prosecution may choose to bring in witnesses to give their testimony, or an account of their perspective of events to attempt to strengthen their case; they may question the witness to further strengthen their case. After the prosecution rests, the defense then may cross-examine these witnesses to attempt to lower their credibility. During a cross-examination, the defense or the prosecution can ask the witnesses questions to strengthen their case, or present evidence that could contradict their testimony.
After the defense cross-examination is done, the defense may bring their witnesses to testify, which are then cross-examined (one after another).
This is repeated until all evidence or witnesses are expended. Then, the jury will make their decision, and the judge will determine a sentence. All Jurors must agree.
¶ Civil Cases
Judge: Mediates and has authority over the High Court.
Defendant: Person or entity being sued.
Defense Attorney: Attorney representing the defendant.
Plaintiff: Person or entity suing the defendant.
Plaintiff’s Attorney: Attorney representing the plaintiff. Court-assigned or chosen by the plaintiff.
Bailiff: Officer of the Haven Guard designated to keep order or carry out Court Orders.
A civil case is when one party (the plaintiff) sues another (the defendant), whether it be monetary, constitutional, or other types of disputes. The judge acts as a mediator between the two parties, with each party having a lawyer representing them.
The plaintiff or defendant can be any person or entity such as a company or organization. Federation laws even allow foreign entities to sue Haven entities, to an extent. A citizen or entity in the Federation can sue the government, in which the Senate is the defendant. After the jury determines who is in the right, the judge will issue a mandate or order to compensate the plaintiff.
Civil cases do not always go to trial. In many circumstances, the defendant may choose to settle to avoid a complex trial they may lose.
¶ Criminal Cases
Judge: Mediates and has authority over the High Court.
Defendant: The accused.
Defense Attorney: The attorney representing the accused. Court-assigned or chosen by the plaintiff.
Prosecutor: The court-assigned prosecutor attempting to convict the defendant.
Bailiff: Officer of the Haven Guard designated to keep order or carry out Court Orders.
The context of a criminal case is starkly different than that of a civil case. Criminal cases always occur in response to a criminal charge by the Haven Government or the Haven Guard. In this case, instead of somebody being sued by a plaintiff, somebody has been arrested and accused as a crime. It is a battle of wits and persuasion between the prosecutor, who is attempting to convict the accused, and the defense. In a criminal procedure, the burden of evidence lays on the Prosecution.