West Phoenicia Ministry of Justice
The Judiciary of West Phoenicia consists of courts and tribunals, composed of judges and justices, who administer justice in the name of the the nation of West Phoenicia.
The judiciary in West Phoenicia is modelled substantially on the system of courts, with a mix of civil and common law which existed in Greater Phoenicia.
The large number of courts and tribunals in West Phoenicia have different procedural powers and characteristics, different jurisdictional limits, different remedial powers and different cost structures.
The Supreme Courts of the city-states and external territories are superior courts of record with general and unlimited jurisdiction within their own state or territory. They can try any justiciable dispute, whether it be for money or not.
Like the Supreme Courts, the Family Court and Confederate Courts are superior courts of record, which means that they have certain inherent procedural and contempt powers. But unlike their Supreme Court counterparts, their subject matter jurisdiction must be granted by statute.
The Confederate Court can, however, hear part of a dispute over which it has no direct jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court of the Confederate Kingdom of West Phoenicia is the highest court in West Phoenicia except for the Inquisition Tribunal which deals with religious matters. And the West Phoenician International Court of Justice which deals with West Phoenicia vs Other nations.
Ministers
Attorney General: Thuy Swain
- Minister of Justice: Hon. Jacob Bain
- Minister of Corrective Services: Gov Joan Wentworth
- Minister of Police and Emergency Response: Hon Laura Lamb
Courts
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of The Confederate Empire of West Phoenicia is the highest court in West Phoenicia.
It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all federal courts and over state court cases involving issues of West Phoenicia civil and common law.
In the legal system of West Phoenicia, the Supreme Court is the final interpreter of confederate constitutional law.
The Court consists of the Chief Justice of West Phoenicia and eight associate justices who are nominated by the Prime Minister confirmed by the Senate, the nomination is than presented to the emperor who has power to veto the nomination.
Once appointed, justices have life tenure unless they resign, retire, take senior status, or are removed after impeachment.
The justices are often categorized as having conservative, moderate, or liberal philosophies of law and of judicial interpretation.
Each justice has one vote, and while many cases are decided unanimously, the highest profile cases often expose ideological beliefs that track with those philosophical or political categories. The Court meets in the West Phoenicia Supreme Court Building in Melbourne-Haven, Jackson, West Phoenicia.
Current Justices:
- Chief Justice: Sophia Sinnethopia
- Justice 1: Gaius Gryphon I
- Justice 2: Bradley Curran
- Justice 3: Alan Narrewood
- Justice 4: Thuy Swanston
- Justice 5: Rev Rob Church
- Justice 6: Inga Horne
- Justice 7: Mary Prestonia
- Justice 8: Cate de Vutton
The Inquisition Tribunal:
The Inquisition Tribunal is the highest religious court in West Phoenicia. It's primary cases are against heretics, religious hate groups and prothelyziers.
The Inquisition Tribunal has several different usages;
An ecclesiastical Tribunal the institution of the Ministry of Faith uses to combat heresy Trial of an individual accused of heresy or religious hate crime
The Inquisition Tribunal has jurisdiction over all citizens except for permanent residents or visitors. The overwhelming majority of sentences consist of penances like attending religious classes, going on pilgrimages etc.
When a suspect is convicted of unrepentant heresy, intolerance or hate the Inquisition tribunal has the power and authority to impose harsher sentences of prison terms, the most extreme being burning at the stake.
The main Inquisition Tribunals courts are located in Agape and Selene Valley.
City State Confederate Courts
The nation’s 53 city-state courts are called Confederate Courts. Confederate courts resolve disputes by determining the facts and applying legal principles to decide who is right in areas of civil and criminal cases.
Trial courts include the Confederate judge who tries the case and a jury that decides the case. Magistrate judges assist Confederate judges in preparing cases for trial, they also conduct trials in misdemeanor cases.
Courts of Appeals
There are 10 appellate courts that sit below the West Phoenician Supreme Court. Split into 10 mega districts that encompass all 53 city-state. The appellate court’s task is to determine whether or not the law was applied correctly in the trial court. Appeals courts consist of three judges and do not use a jury.
A court of appeals hears challenges to district court decisions from courts located within its mega district as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies.
Family Courts
West Phoenicia has 50 Family Courts, a court for each city-state.
Family courts hear all cases that relate to familial and domestic relationships. Although each city state has a different system utilized to address family law cases, each city- state strives to provide families with the best possible outcome in family law cases.
Family courts can also issue decisions regarding divorce cases
Military Court of West Phoenicia
Located in Jackson, West Phoenicia.
Its a separate court that deals with the body of laws and procedures governing members of the West Phoenician armed forces.
Legal issues unique to military justice include the preservation of good order and discipline, the legality of orders, and appropriate conduct for members of the military. The Military court also deals with civil offences committed by their armed forces in most circumstances and criminal offences.
Military Legal Advocate Corps is the legal branch or specialty of a military concerned with military justice and military law. Officers serving are typically called Advocates.
Advocates serve primarily as legal advisors to the command to which they are assigned. Their advice may cover a wide range of issues dealing with administrative law, government contracting, civilian and military personnel law, law of war and international relations, environmental law, etc. They also serve as prosecutors for the military when conducting court martial. They are charged with both the defence and prosecution of military law as provided in the West Phoenicia Uniform Code of Military Justice.
West Phoenicia has 10 military prisons that serving personnel can be sentenced to if convicted of a crime.
West Phoenicia International Court of Justice
Located in Free Dixie, the capital city of New Dixie It acts as a separate and independent court and unbiased attitude towards foreign disputes.
The West Phoenicia International Court of Justice settles legal disputes submitted to it by city-states or West Phoenicia as a whole against other nations of the world. Other countries in the world can also raise legal disputes against West Phoenicia.
It also provides advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international branches, agencies, and the World Assembly.
Judges serve a time length of 9 years and the number of positions are 11.
The current Chief Justice is: Chief Justice Leopold Dundas II
Drug Courts
West Phoenicia currently has 10 drug courts at city-state levels.
They are problem-solving courts that take a public health approach using a specialized model in which the judiciary,prosecution, defence bar, probation, law enforcement, mental health, social service, and treatment communities work together to help addicted offenders into long-term recovery.
The main aim of the West Phoenician drug courts are to divert illicit drug users from incarceration into treatment programs for their addiction. This is used for first and second time offenders, whearas further offending will see harsher penalties apply.
People's Court
West Phoenicia has People's Courts that are overseen by a Judge.
The People's Court is designed for minor issues like neighbour disputes, traffic disputes, that do not bound on criminal offences and civil disputes for values of less than $300. Decisions are binding. And a number of city-states have taken to broadcasting these court cases on television due to there popularity.
There are currently 15 city-states that have People's Courts.
Animal Justice Court
Located in Melbourne-Haven.
Animal Justice Court resolve disputes by determining the facts and applying legal principles to decide who is right in areas of civil and criminal cases involving animals.
Trial courts include the Animal Justice Court judge who tries the case and passes sentence which can range from fines to prison sentences.
The Animal Justice Court is located in the capital of the city-state of Polytheisa Heaven.
West Phoenicia Police Forces
- Chief Commissioner of the West Phoenician National Police Force: Apedemak Capott
• Chief Commissioner of the West Phoenician City-State Police Force: Victor Swannie
City-states Police Force
The city- state police forces are responsible for enforcing laws within their own states and jurisdictions with the Chief Commisioner having authority over all city-states. However each state has their own Commissioner, the highest ranking police official.
Each City-state is responsible for maintaining its own police force which is responsible for policing at the state and local level. This involves general law and order, traffic policing, major crime, anti-terrorism branches, water police and search and rescue.
As of 2019 total number of Uniformed Officers and non uniformed police force members and support staff stands at 200,000
National Police Force
The National Police force enforces national law and protects confederate and national interests from crime in West Phoenicia and internationally. Federal agents are based in each West Phoenician state and territory capital city, internationally and form the largest component of the National Police force staff, federal agents chiefly perform criminal investigative duties. The National Police also strongly work alongside agents of the West Phoenician Security and Intelligence Organisation
Current areas of focus for the West Phoenician National Police:
- Illicit drug trafficking
- Organized people smuggling
- Human Trafficking, including sexual servitude and human exploitation
- Serious major fraud against the government
- High-tech crime involving information technology and communications
- Prevention, countering and investigation of terrorism
- Transnational and multi-jurisdictional crime
- Money laundering
- Organized crime
- Policing External Territories and Islands
- Assisting other nations of the Empire on police matters.
As of 2019 there were a total of 40,000 sworn and unsworn members of the National Police force.
Prisons in West Phoenicia
The Confederate Empire of West Phoenicia believes when someone commits a crime they need to be punished. For worst case offenders Capital Punishment is enforced in most city-states.
Overall West Phoenicia has 380 Prisons;
- Government Run Prisons: 220 in operation
- Private Run Prisons: 70 in operation
- Juvenile Justice Facilities: 80 in operation
- Military Prisons: 10 in operation
Classification:
West Phoenicia classes people as Minimum, Medium and High in regards to risk factor. Minimum classes prisoners are usually sent to Prison Farms or participate in the Volunteer Prison Labor Force.
Medium classed offenders are either sentenced to Medium Security Prisons or also have the ability to sign up to the Volunteer Prison Labor Force.
Prisoners deemed as high classed are imprisoned in Maximum security prisons or Super Max prisons.
Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment has existed in The Confederate Empire of West Phoenicia since the formation of West Phoenicia.
The West Phoenican Congress recently passed the Revised Capital Punishment Act 2018. It passed 1090 to 500 in the House of Representatives, with public support at 80%
The City-states of Agape, Immaculata, Cluella, Debney Bay, Neo Australis and Polytheisa Heaven have all removed the death penalty as an option and have instead instilled a life sentence without parole as an alternative.
Other city-states have capital punishment on their books but rarely enforce it.
However in crimes against West Phoenicia, national law outweighs state laws. So a citizen committing an act in the above city-states can still find them sentenced to death because terrorism is classed as a national crime.
The following crimes fall under the Capital Punishment Act 2016:
1. Murder in the 1st or 2nd degree
2. Drug Trafficking
3. Poaching
4. Assisting in the production of nuclear weapons
5. High Treason
6. Treason
7. Espionage against West Phoenicia
8. Aiding an enemy in time of war
9. First Degree Kidnapping
10. Airplane Hijacking
11. Murder for Hire
12. Rape
13. Terrorism
14. Illegal drug manufacturing
15. Heresy
16. Black Witchcraft
Methods of Capital Punishment.
Each state by law has the right to dictate what method of capital punishment is enforced.
1. Lethal Injection (All city-states)
2. Guillotine (All city-states)
3. Hanging ( All city-states)
4. Firing Squad ( Ptolemaic Haven and New Dixie only)
5. Stoning (New Rome and Testament Valley only)
6. Gas Chamber ( Titania only)
7. Electric Chair ( New Egypt, New Tudor and Upper West Phoenicia)
8. Beheading (Africana Territory, Oceania Territory and Mythologica only)
9. Burnt at the stake ( Assigned by the Inquisition Tribuinal Only)