Judicial
The Palaco (pronounced "Palaso") serves the functions of main Judicial Forum in the Empire, and also serves to effect certification of ballots in senatorial elections. The Palaco is divided into two main chambers to aid in the functions of the judicial system.
- Plenum
- Quorum
The Plenum is the lower chamber of the Palaco, responsible for hearing cases that have made their way from the Regional Courts. This body, comprised of 10 Magistrates, deliberates on a case, often for hours-and sometimes for days, before reaching a decision. In most situations, a decision of the Regional Courts is either upheld or overturned by the Plenum. In rare cases, a decision is pushed to the Quorum for final verdict, but this requires both defense and prosecution to jointly file a Corpus Judica-roughly translated as a Request For Hearing to be submitted to the Quorum, which then decides whether to hear the case or push it back to the Plenum in a Reponsa or Response Document. The Plenum plays no role in the election certification process and during the times in which the Quorum oversees the process, the Plenum becomes the final destination for cases which have made their way through the court system.
Membership in the Plenum is based on a merit system in which judges and justicars "justisars") are nominated by the Judge Advocate General, and generally, prospective Magistrates will have had 15-20 years experience in the lower and Regional Courts before they can be considered candidates for Magistracy. Magistracy is a lifetime appointment, though a select few earn qualification to become a Supreme Justice in the Quorum. There has, to date, never been a Magistrate who has resigned his/her office, though such a possibility does exist for such an occurrence.
The Quorum is the highest court in the Judicial system. Located in a large chamber in the Palaco, the Quorum is comprised of 12 members-which earns it the nickname of the Quorum of Twelve. Their main function is to debate and pass a final verdict on those cases which are brought before it in a Corpus Judica from the Plenum. It is with the Quorum that cases are either upheld or overturned, though in some cases they can pass a Responsa and kick a case back down to the Plenum. The membership in the Quorum is open to all member races of the Empire, but to date, only Humans, Vulcans and Bajorans have ascended to the high office of Supreme Justice. Membership in the Quorum is a lifetime appointment, though there are regulations in place in the event of extreme illness or the Supreme Justice decides to step down.
In addition to their primary role in the Justice system of the Empire, the Quorum also acts as final arbiter in the electoral process, overseeing both the certification-sometimes with a prior final count, and the settlement of any issues arising in the election process. Only one election has thus far required Quorum intervention, back in December of 2320 when Tad Vergusson, son of disgraced ex-senator Trom Vergusson, challenged the electoral victory of Senator Lauren Greene (granddaughter of US House Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene) in the Nationalist Party's primary race (Greene later lost the general election to Imperialist Party senator and former Vergussonite Idris Vandron. Tad Vergusson appealed six times before the Quorum, in passing their sixth and final verdict, warned Vergusson that he could be referred to the IBI for obstruction.
Membership in the Plenum is based on a merit system in which judges and justicars "justisars") are nominated by the Judge Advocate General, and generally, prospective Magistrates will have had 15-20 years experience in the lower and Regional Courts before they can be considered candidates for Magistracy. Magistracy is a lifetime appointment, though a select few earn qualification to become a Supreme Justice in the Quorum. There has, to date, never been a Magistrate who has resigned his/her office, though such a possibility does exist for such an occurrence.
The Quorum is the highest court in the Judicial system. Located in a large chamber in the Palaco, the Quorum is comprised of 12 members-which earns it the nickname of the Quorum of Twelve. Their main function is to debate and pass a final verdict on those cases which are brought before it in a Corpus Judica from the Plenum. It is with the Quorum that cases are either upheld or overturned, though in some cases they can pass a Responsa and kick a case back down to the Plenum. The membership in the Quorum is open to all member races of the Empire, but to date, only Humans, Vulcans and Bajorans have ascended to the high office of Supreme Justice. Membership in the Quorum is a lifetime appointment, though there are regulations in place in the event of extreme illness or the Supreme Justice decides to step down.
In addition to their primary role in the Justice system of the Empire, the Quorum also acts as final arbiter in the electoral process, overseeing both the certification-sometimes with a prior final count, and the settlement of any issues arising in the election process. Only one election has thus far required Quorum intervention, back in December of 2320 when Tad Vergusson, son of disgraced ex-senator Trom Vergusson, challenged the electoral victory of Senator Lauren Greene (granddaughter of US House Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene) in the Nationalist Party's primary race (Greene later lost the general election to Imperialist Party senator and former Vergussonite Idris Vandron. Tad Vergusson appealed six times before the Quorum, in passing their sixth and final verdict, warned Vergusson that he could be referred to the IBI for obstruction.