Judiciary of Great Nortend

The Judiciary of Great Nortend is the branch of the government of Great Nortend that is responsible for resolving disputes between subjects as well as between the Crown and subjects by maintaining and upholding the law of the land. The judicial system is split into the sessions courts and the Royal courts. The former are presided over mostly by lay-men, usually either appointed wardens of the peace or local officials. Whereas wardens of the peace and certain judicial officials can be removed by the Sheriff of the county, the stewards of the manorial sessions may only be removed by the respective Lord of the Manor. Royally appointed justices and commissioners sit on the Royal courts by writ, and can be only removed by the Sovereign.

The Law

Main article: Law of Great Nortend

The Erbonian legal system is a mix of customary, regular, civil and statute law, based mostly on an adversarial system. The normal courts (i.e. not the manorial, admiralty, ecclesiastical or martial courts) are in the regular law tradition, often thought of as the Erbonian equivalent to 'common law' and formally known as the 'law of the realm' or lex regni, as contrasted with statute law, formally known as jus rege. The aforementioned courts apply a mixture of civil law practice with elements of the regular law.

There are five traditional categories of 'law'. These categories are: 1. Criminal law; 2. Civil law; 3. Admiralty law; 4. Martial law; 5. Canon law.

Judges

Court dress of the justices of the Chamber Courts.

Lords Justices

The Lords Justices are the justices, or rather suitours, of the Court of Counsellours, where they are known as Law Counsellours. Lords Justices are appointed typically from senior chamber justices and are members of the House of Lords, being created a knight banneret by the Sovereign. Though they have full voting rights, by custom this is not exercised except in matters of law. The Lord Justice of Common Chamber and Lord Chief Justice are Lords Justices; however, they do not usually sit in the Court of Counsellours.

Chamber Justices

The Chamber Courts, being the Court of King's Chamber and the Court of Common Chamber, have a total of thirteen justices. This includes two lords justices—the Lord Justice of Common Chamber and the Lord Chief Justice—as well as five and six puisne justices in the Common Chamber and King's Chamber respectively. All of the puisne justices are titled the Hon. Mr Justice A. B. whereas the lords justices are titled the Rt Hon. Lord Justice A. B.

All chamber justices are Serjeants at Law (servientes ad legem), and are customarily knighted as Knights Companion of the Order of the Mantle and Tippet, the tippet being a term used to refer to the liripipe of a hood.

The dress of a chamber justice, as they are known, is shewn on the right. On festal occasions and red-letter days, all justices wear scarlet robes (row 1), lined in fur or silk, in winter and summer respectively. The fur for the lords justices are of ermine, whereas coney is used for puisne justices. The silk is similarly silk velvet for the lords justices and silk taffeta for puisne justices. Traditionally it is of a lilac or pink colour; however, grey is increasingly popular, an innovation credited to Mr Justice Rewhard. With the scarlet robe is worn a hood and mantle of the same cloth and trimming.

A black silk girdle is worn around the waist, and breeches, stockings and buckled court shoes are worn. Additionally, a detachable wing collar is worn with white bands as well as a powdered full-bottomed wig. Gloves and lace cuffs are also worn and the black cap is carried.

For normal sitting days, the justices of the King's Chamber wear the same scarlet robes albeit without the mantle (row 2). Justices of the Common Chamber, on the other hand, wear dark blue robes (row 2) in the same fur or silk, with the same accoutrements as worn on festal occasions, albeit without the mantle and in the dark violet colour. The colour of dark blue appears very nearly black, being only slightly lighter than the girdle.

Some justices continue to use a violet-blue set of robes and hoods for criminal trials and proceedings in winter, i.e. Michaelmas and Lent terms, and in 2003 the return to historical practice was recommended to all justices hearing criminal matters by both the Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellour.

Court of Eyre

See also: Courts of Great Nortend § Court of Eyre

The puisne justices when on circuit or eyre wear for normal sittings days a simplified or more informal version of the robes worn (row 3). For cases nisi prius or ad omnia placitum, the dark violet robes of the Common Chamber are worn by justices from both courts. This is worn with the black girdle as well as with a black scarf and a 'casting-hood' in scarlet cloth, which is a hood thrown behind the body by the liripipe, giving the effect rather like a sash. Justices wear with this 'undress' a short bench wig.

In criminal matters of ad gaolum deliberandum and ad pacem, the crimson gown is worn in the same fashion as for civil matters.

Addressing judges

Main article: Forms of address in Great Nortend § Judiciary