Ministry of Justice

[aramis]

Went over the Mongoose Traveller agents MoJ entry, and it is largely as many of you define it, crimes committed as Imperial High crimes as noted including extraterritorial starports and presumably space.

Notable features-

* MoJ handles everything- investigation, creating and assigning judges, prisoner transport and handling, prison operations. About the only thing they don't handle is the accused's defense.

* No jury trials, no appeal, verdict is final and binding throughout Imperial Space.

* In high profile cases the MoJ may assign a tribunal rather then a single judge.

* The MoJ IS sensitive to the function of appearing to dispense certain but fair justice as an element of ruling the Imperium.

* Judges come from the nobility.

* Resources are stretched so the MoJ makes use of hiring local LE, bounty hunters, professional security etc.

* The same resource issues means your supervisor may be 10 parsecs away, so Imperial agents have a lot of leeway to get away with unsupervised activity- this may allow corruption and abuse of power to occur, but penalties are harsh for being caught at it.

Seems very Napoleonic Law to me.

It's missing trial by combat (Duels), Guilty until proven innocent, Right to Counsel, and the jury trials of the Code Napoleon. (Note that Juries to bring indictments were not, but at least for courts-petite the Trial Jury was a presumption; the criminal judge alone issued indictments, IIRC. Other forms of trial could be agreed upon, including duels in maters civil.)

Note also that, if your list is accurate, then there's contradiction with prior sources, namely JTAS 14...

Violations of subsector and Imperial law are tried by a tribunal composed of from three to nine judges. (JTAS 14, p 22)​

And MGT Bk2 (M)HG which mentions a Naval Command Grand Jury. (p 36)

 

[McPerth]

Went over the Mongoose Traveller agents MoJ entry, and it is largely as many of you define it, crimes committed as Imperial High crimes as noted including extraterritorial starports and presumably space.

Notable features-

* MoJ handles everything- investigation, creating and assigning judges, prisoner transport and handling, prison operations. About the only thing they don't handle is the accused's defense.

* No jury trials, no appeal, verdict is final and binding throughout Imperial Space.

* In high profile cases the MoJ may assign a tribunal rather then a single judge.

* The MoJ IS sensitive to the function of appearing to dispense certain but fair justice as an element of ruling the Imperium.

* Judges come from the nobility.

* Resources are stretched so the MoJ makes use of hiring local LE, bounty hunters, professional security etc.

* The same resource issues means your supervisor may be 10 parsecs away, so Imperial agents have a lot of leeway to get away with unsupervised activity- this may allow corruption and abuse of power to occur, but penalties are harsh for being caught at it.

Seems very Napoleonic Law to me.

Please, could you tell us wich MgT istis info from (though I have serious doubts I own them)?

And MGT Bk2 (M)HG which mentions a Naval Command Grand Jury. (p 36)

As we were told before by talos402000:

Admiralty Court: Adjucates cases concerning interstellar trade, piracy, barratry, and high jacking. The courts are run by the Navy but according to standards set by the MoJ, which also handles punishments.

This can well be a joint office among IN and MoJ...

 

[McPerth]

Just thought about. Another field where the MoJ may be active is enforcing the Psionic Supressions.

I wonder if it has its own psionics to handle this (as oherwise its agents will be in clear disadvantage)...

 

[tjoneslo]

Went over the Mongoose Traveller agents MoJ entry, and it is largely as many of you define it, crimes committed as Imperial High crimes as noted including extraterritorial starports and presumably space.

Notable features-

* Judges come from the nobility.

If the JTASOnline entries I quoted earlier are accepted canon, if you are a member of nobility, the judge must be a higher rank to pass judgement. And you can request any higher ranked member to serve as judge (or part of the tribunal). In the story the son of a Duke, accused of holding the Denuli Gems, requests the Emperor himself serve. The Emperor agrees and the accused ends up serving 75 years.

 

[kilemall]

Please, could you tell us wich MgT istis info from (though I have serious doubts I own them)?

MgT Book 5, Agents.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1906508356

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/traveller/book-5-agent.html

At full price, meh, but at $9 as a idea book it was worth it.

I have serious Oort Cloud elements at play, and it's just too darn big to cover with even an entire navy (consider the 100D space of all the planets you care about, then compare it to one system's Cloud).

So I figure what most interstellar regimes do is send in the deep undercover types that get around and map the place and the people, then call in the Navy when It's Serious Trouble.

 

[kilemall]

It's missing trial by combat (Duels), Guilty until proven innocent, Right to Counsel, and the jury trials of the Code Napoleon. (Note that Juries to bring indictments were not, but at least for courts-petite the Trial Jury was a presumption; the criminal judge alone issued indictments, IIRC. Other forms of trial could be agreed upon, including duels in maters civil.)

Now see, that would be a LOT of fun RPG-wise.

Note also that, if your list is accurate, then there's contradiction with prior sources, namely JTAS 14...

Violations of subsector and Imperial law are tried by a tribunal composed of from three to nine judges. (JTAS 14, p 22)​

And MGT Bk2 (M)HG which mentions a Naval Command Grand Jury. (p 36)

I don't know that MgT writers concern themselves terribly with maintaining canon or timelines. I get the impression it's more Imperium Generic then anything else.

 

[GypsyComet]

Just thought about. Another field where the MoJ may be active is enforcing the Psionic Supressions.

I wonder if it has its own psionics to handle this (as oherwise its agents will be in clear disadvantage)...

Even the Special Branch doesn't (openly) engage in psionic training, but if anyone knows where to scrounge up a sympathetic psion on short notice, it would be the Special Branch.