Law of the Order

Upon the ascension of Emperor Willerick, it was decided that the law of his empire must be clarified. As such, the Willerick issued the following commandments which serve as the foundation of Imperial Law. After the fall of Voss, the reconstituted Midnight Order maintained a modified version of these laws. The many rules and regulations are the guidelines for the Ministry of Justice to enforce.

## The Sovereign's Laws

1. **Maintain**the Sovereign's Order (High Crime - Treason):

* The Midnight Order is ruled by it's sovereign and his or her word is law.
* The Honor Guards are the protectors of the sovereign and Council.

2. **Honour** the Sovereign's Philosophy (High Crime - Heresy):

* We are the the followers of the Sith code and enemies of Jedi Heresy. We are one Sith, in mind, body and force. Passion is our guide, power is our tool, strength is our weapon and victory is our goal. To strike against our own is to strike against ourselves.

3. **Follow** the Sovereign's Plan (Misdemeanor - Dereliction of Duty)

* The Order's mandate is to expand, perfect and when necessary, conquer.

4. **Keep** the Sovereign's Peace (The high crime of Murder and misdemeanor Disturbing the Peace)

* We embrace diversity and all forms of passion and we oppose indiscriminate slaughter.
* We serve the Order and its ministries. Politics and intrigue must only exist when in support of the Order and it's Sovereign.

5. **Protect** the Order's Resources (Misdeamenors of Theft and Tax Evasion)

* The Sovereign is the guardian of the Order's treasury and our shared resources.
* All financial transactions occur only with the Sovereign's authority and all physical transactions of Order property must be with the consent of a member of the Council.

6. **Defend** the Sovereign's Realm (Misdemeanor - Cowardice in the face of the enemy)

* We claim Thule as our homeworld. Order territory is to be defended with our lives.

7. **Respect** the Sovereign's Diplomacy (Misdemeanor - Violation of Treaty)

* The Sovereign may make alliances to expand the Order's power and standing. Those alliances are to be honored.

8. **Remember** the Sovereign's Covenant (No offense described)

* The Sovereign is duty bound to rule for the benefit of the citizens and the Order. As citizens serve the Sovereign, he or she serves the Order and must rule with wisdom and justice in mind.

9. **Obey** the Sovereign's Law (Consequence prescribed)

* All Citizens are bound by this law, and those who stand against this order shall be judged according to the will of the Sovereign.

## Procedures

### **Midnight Order Public Law 1.1 - Preference of Trial**

Citizens who are charged with a crime have the right to be presented with their choice of the following options

* Admission of Guilt
* Trial by Tribunal
* Trial by combat.

When a charge is presented to the Sovereign or the head of the Ministry of Justice either will hold a preliminary hearing for the defendant to choose his options and choose.

#### Law 1.1 Subsection (a) - Admission of Guilt

Should a citizen choose to admit their guilt to a crime and beg for mercy they may (at the discretion of the presiding officer) be granted the lessor punishment required for their level of crime.

* For high crimes the lesser punishment is: Demotion and Fine of 10k Credits.
* For misdemeanors the lesser punishment is: a fine of 1k Credits.

The presiding officer may also opt to have the guilty party undergo a trial by combat to fight for the lesser punishment.

#### Law 1.1 Subsection (b) - Trial by Tribunal

Should a citizen choose to be tried by tribunal the following shall occur:

The Empress, the Head of the Ministry of Law and Justice or the Empress' designee shall hold a hearing when enough members are present for the trial. For the purposes of the trial at least five members need to be present (three judges, the prosecution and the defense).

The Sovereign, the Head of the Ministry of Law and Justice or the Empress' designee shall serve as the impartial chief judge of the tribunal as well as choose the prosecutor. The prosecution will choose one associate judge and the defense will choose the other. The judges if possible should not be partial or connected to the crime. If it is impossible to assign three impartial judges the prosecution and defense can object to replace any of the two associate judge but not the chief judge. Should there be no one available to replace the two associate judges the prosecution or defense can object and request a single judge, the chief judge to preside over the trial.

The Trial will be conducted as follows:

1. The Prosecution will present it's case and call it's witnesses. The defense may object to facts that are not in evidence, leading questions and/or things that seem inappropriate to the situation. All witnesses called by the prosecution will be first questioned by the prosecutor, then the defendant, and finally the judges. When the prosecution has no more witnesses they will give their final remarks and rest their case.
2. The defendant will present his or her rebuttal and call witnesses. The prosecution may object to facts not in evidence, leading questions and/or things that seem inappropriate to the situation. All witnesses called by the defense will be first questioned by the prosecutor, then the defendant, and finally the judges. When the defense has no more witnesses they will give their final remarks and close their case.
3. When an objection is presented the chief judge will decide whether to sustain the objection or overrule and give his ruling on the matter. Should the associate judges disagree they should side bar with the chief judge who will consider their objection and either restate his ruling or reverse it.
4. When the prosecution and defense rest their case the judges shall leave the chamber to deliberate in private. For high crimes the judges must be unanimous to find the defendant guilty. For misdemeanors two of the three judges is sufficient to find the defendant guilty. The penalties for high crimes may be: death by saber, exile, or demotion. For misdemeanors the penalties may be: demotion.
5. Should the ruling and sentencing be carried out by a designee of the Sovereign, the defense may appeal the ruling to the head of the Ministry of Justice. Subsequently the defense may appeal a ruling of the head of the Ministry of Justice to the Sovereign. The Sovereign's ruling, however, is always final regardless of whether or not his or her court is the first trial.

#### Law 1.1 Subsection (c) - Trial by Combat

Should a citizen choose trial by combat, the presiding officer whether the Sovereign, the head of the Ministry of Justice or the Sovereign's designee will assign a citizen of sufficient rank and level to try the defendant. That individual should be close to the defendant's level no greater or less than two levels.

A trial by combat is an admission of guilt and is simply an attempt to earn a lesser punishment. The victor of a trial by combat will be granted the lowest punish possible if he or she is the victor in honorable combat. Should the defendant lose he will be given the highest punishment possible in accordance with the Sovereign's law.

A trial by combat must have a judge present as well as a witness to the proceeding. Upon the completion of the battle, the judge will give either the maximum or minimum punishment depending on the result of the battle. Trials by combat cannot be appealed.

#### Law 1.1 Subsection (d) - Sovereign's right.

On all punishments, the sovereign reserves the right to suspend, lessen the punishment or pardon the guilty party.

### **Midnight Order Public Law 1.2 - Three Strikes Law**

Should a citizen commit and be found guilty of three misdemeanors, upon the consideration of a subsequent misdemeanor, a tribunal may consider treating the offense as a "high crime" and can impose penalties described for "high crimes" in Law 1.1 (b).

## Offenses

### **High Crimes**

The penalties for high crimes may be: death by saber or sarlacc, exile, imprisonment by carbonite, or demotion.

* **Treason**: Treason is defined as the act, attempt, or planning of overthrowing the Sovereign, the Midnight Order, or both. Any evidence that suggests treason will result in the immediate arrest and prosecution of the accused. If found guilty, the severity of the penalty will be decided by the tribunal's panel and the Sovereign.

* **Murder:**While needing no definition, any individual accused of murder will be arrested and prosecuted**.** If found guilty, the severity of the penalty will be decided by the tribunal's panel and the Empress.

### **Misdemeanors**

For misdemeanors the penalties may be: demotion.

* **Disturbing the Peace:**Any acts of vocal opposition to a decree of the Sovereign, Praetor, Flame, or Council will result in immediate arrest and punishment, the severity of which will be dictated by the severity of the misdemeanor.

* **Theft:**Any act of theft against the Midnight Order or its members will result in immediate arrest, recovery of items stolen, and punishment, the severity of which will be dictated by the Council and the Sovereign.

* **Violation of Treaty:**Any citizen who violates a treaty between the Midnight Order and an allied faction will be arrested and punished, the severity of which to be determined by the severity of the crime, and the parties affected by the accused's actions.

## Arrest Procedures

Arrests of citizens of the Order must be for a crime, unless the arrest is issued by the Sovereign.

To arrest a citizen for a crime, the crime must be reported to or discovered by the Ministry of Justice, or any high-ranking official within the Midnight Order. Honor Guards would then get a warrant for the arrest of the citizen which must be approved by either the Minister of Justice, the Praetor, the Flame, or the Sovereign. Any of these high-ranking officials that approve the warrant may command the military or Honor Guards to apprehend the subject. Should the Honor Guards wish to arrest a member of the Council, the warrant must be approved by the Praetor or the Sovereign or the Flame.

## Interrogation Procedures

All interrogations must adhere to the guidelines given below, or else any evidence revealed during them is subject to dismissal by the court.

* Interrogations are recommended to be held with the presence of at least one member of the Ministry of Justice.
* No damage to the head and/or brain is permitted, as this may bring the subject's testimony into question.
* No truth serums of any kind my be used, as these may actually leave the subject in a suggestive state.
* For high crimes, interrogators may utilize all Force powers (with the exception of persuasion and all mind-penetrating powers), interrogation probes, shock collars, and physical torture.
* All subjects must be able to stand trial after interrogation.
* A template form can be used during at interrogation.