I'm considering a campaign in which the PCs are a group of sentients involved in the judicial system somehow, which leads me to wonder....
How does the judicial system of the Pact Worlds work? Is it more like the US, more like Britain, etc. Are jury trials common, are they juries of one's peers, juries of elders, juries of clergy, juries of professional jurists, juries of Councillors or appointees thereof?
Is it mediation-focused? Evidential argumentation-focused? Criminal, civil, both, neither? Is it transformative, punitive, restorative?
Are there lawyers? How many sides are there in a case (one, arguing for the facts, OR a defense and a prosecution OR three, with an added side representing the state/society itself)?
Is there a series of courts, with a ladder of appeals that slowly shifts focus from proving what happened to ensuring the validity/propriety of the previous proceedings to determining if the judgment/law was even legal?
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera....
I'd imagine that each planet & in most cases, each individual jurisdiction on each individual planet, has it's own judicial system.
The Pact is more comparable to the European Union/NATO than it is to, say, the United States Federal Government. The Pact Council covers high level issues such as sapient rights, trade, & mutual defense, things that are going to have consequences across national & planetary lines, but there's going to be less uniformity further down you go.
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Yep. "The Pact Worlds" don't have a judicial system, they have many many judicial systems. The closest thing to a overall Pact judiciary would probably be Steward jurisdiction over crimes occurring outside the jurisdiction of any of the member states, such as piracy in open space. Otherwise, trial and punishment would fall to the nation in which you committed the crime.
So, what would that look like? Some ideas that pop into my mind. . .
-On Aballon, criminals are judged by godlike judicial AIs. On the plus side, your verdict and sentence will be scrupulously fair, taking into full account both the laws and circumstances. OTOH, don't expect any kind of 'jury of your peers', or any kind of procedural defenses whatsoever. Either the facts are in your favor, or they aren't. You have a right to a precise and accurate assessment of your crimes.
-On Absalom Station, OTOH, I envision a very technical court system, one with a lot of lawyers and juries and judges, and also with. . . well, corruption isn't *quite* the right word. However, the judicial system is less about enforcing some abstract ideal of order, or even maintaining supreme power, and more about facilitating the continued day to day operation of the Station. Thus, there are probably a lot of elements of the legal system that allow for someone with influence to reach in and go "yoink!" Maybe something like. . . most crimes of less than a certain severity have a "no fault, case closed" fine option, so if you or someone you work for have enough resources, you can just make a trial go away ( with the fine presumably used to pay the harmed party, where relevant ). Of course, the flip side is that there is *also* a tradition of unofficial vigilante justice and station authorities not investigating too hard if someone obnoxious disappears, which acts as a limit on blatant abuse.
-On Akiton, its Mad Max baby. If you are really lucky, the law in a given town involves trial by a mostly fair jury who is only a little biased against you for being an outsider. Most of the time, though, justice consists of "the local warlord decides whether you live or die, be very persuasive".
-Verces is probably the closest to what we would think of as a "normal" first world court system: enumerated rights, due process, procedural rules, burdens of proof, etc. Its probably softer on natives than on visitors, mind, since native Verthani know all the unwritten norms existing within and parallel to the system that ensure more lenient handling. Its a very lawful, very old society, and clashing with or defying that order ( even unintentionally ) is a good way to lose the benefit of the doubt.
If you consider the many nation-states of Verces, or the moons of Liavra, or wandering tribes of Akiton (perhaps they have trial by combat?), there are likely many judicial systems. I really doubt for instance that there is something like Judicial Committee of the Privy Council at Absalom Station that reviews cases from the highest courts of appeal on all the planets. I even doubt there is something like the Treaty of Rome that created the International Criminal Court (but yeah make if up if you'd like to). Maybe there's something like the Star Chamber on Eox. Apostae having predetermined show trials.
(I've wondered and thought a fair amount about this as well)
Oh yeah, there is almost certainly no formal method of appeal above the level of individual member states. The closest would be if your crime and treatment manages to reach the level of "interplanetary diplomatic incident", in which case the Stewards probably step in and do their best to handle things. This might well be to your benefit if you were, say, the victim of some horrifying injustice that shocked the conscience of the public ( elsewhere ), but the Stewards are ultimately a diplomatic force, so even then the result would probably be "backroom deal" rather than some formal universal legal structure.
And yes, being charged with a crime on Eox or Apostae *sucks*. To the degree either system offers fairness, justice, or mercy, it is *only* to the minimum extent needed to get along with the rest of the Pact Worlds. The purpose of both legal systems is purely to serve the interests of those with power, so your best hope is to be a petty enough crime that no one especially cares and some judicious bribery or favor trading gets you out of trouble. Otherwise, you are screwed.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Pact judicial systems vary based on jurisdiction and locale. In the Contemplative communities of Akiton, guilt is determined by precognition and future law breakers are arrested upon entry to the settlement.
Likewise, in certain 'Those Who Become' anacite collaboratives, guilt for non-silicon-based life forms is determined by algorithm.
In the Drakelands of Triaxus, accusers must battle defendants in gladiatorial combat, with the judge [a.k.a. the local dragonlord] determining when guilt or innocence is clear.
On Absalom Station of course, the Gap led to a complete eradication of existing law and regulation. Even the memory of how court systems functioned was wiped clean from the Station's inhabitants. This early challenge almost caused the destruction of the space station, as anarchy threatened to break down the entire order of society. It was only upon the discovery of a small micro-crystal containing a program called 'Phoenix Wright: Space Attorney' gave the inhabitants a model for dispute resolution and forms the basis of the judicial system even today.
Yakman wrote: Pact judicial systems vary based on jurisdiction and locale. In the Contemplative communities of Akiton, guilt is determined by precognition and future law breakers are arrested upon entry to the settlement.
Likewise, in certain 'Those Who Become' anacite collaboratives, guilt for non-silicon-based life forms is determined by algorithm.
In the Drakelands of Triaxus, accusers must battle defendants in gladiatorial combat, with the judge [a.k.a. the local dragonlord] determining when guilt or innocence is clear.
On Absalom Station of course, the Gap led to a complete eradication of existing law and regulation. Even the memory of how court systems functioned was wiped clean from the Station's inhabitants. This early challenge almost caused the destruction of the space station, as anarchy threatened to break down the entire order of society. It was only upon the discovery of a small micro-crystal containing a program called 'Phoenix Wright: Space Attorney' gave the inhabitants a model for dispute resolution and forms the basis of the judicial system even today.
I'm guessing the source for this is Pact Worlds?
No, he made it up. There's no info on this stuff.
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