- Discord
- COE#7110
Criminals: Obey Edicts
Comply Or Else
Compassion. Objectivity. Efficiency.
Crushing Our Enemies is running for Attorney General
It took me a few tries to get a motto that conveyed the message I wanted. I think I've got it right this time.
"But COE, you are on record stating that you think the AG's office should be abolished."
Weird, right?! In seriousness, AG is the only elected position where you can do nothing for four months and no one will notice anything amiss. I do think there are better ways to conduct criminal justice and constitutional disambiguation than having someone elected for that purpose. For instance, a prosecutor could simply be appointed by the court or the delegate whenever charges are brought. The restrictions on who can bring requests for review in various situations could be relaxed. I think it is easy to eliminate the need for an elected AG. That being said, under our current system, a compassionate, objective, efficient Attorney General is vitally necessary.
Currently, someone can only bring a request for review when they have been personally affected. Because of that, there are innumerable situations wherein the AG must bring an issue before the Court in order for a decision to be rendered. This includes any government action or policy that may break the law or violate the constitution, but affects no particular person. In these cases, the Attorney General is the bulwark against impersonal violations of our fundamental rights. This also includes any situation where the affected party may be unwilling or unable to bring a request, such as when they have no forum account, or don't understand the process of court review. Even though they may be the only one affected in that case, the precedent set by allowing the policy or action to go unquestioned may eventually affect many others. In these cases, the Attorney General must act on behalf of the potentially affected, who are legally restrained from bringing the question themselves.
The Attorney General is also the primary prosecutor of all criminal charges. Usually, if the AG declines to prosecute a case, it is dropped entirely. This puts the AG in the unique situation of being a gatekeeper of sorts, deciding which cases are worthy of prosecution and which are not. Their decisions have broad implications on what is considered serious criminal behavior, and what is dismissed as a benign legal misstep.
In light of the importance of the AG to our legal system, allow me to explain the values of my campaign:[ul][li]Compassion: Especially in the area of criminal prosecution, the AG must be mindful that most nations are simply here to have fun and enjoy NationStates, and having charges filed against someone does not automatically mean they are a villain. It is certainly possible for well-meaning nations to commit criminal acts that are worthy of prosecution, and genuinely malicious criminals do come along from time to time. The compassionate AG can discern these two situations from the ones where the best thing for everyone involved is to let it go.[li]Objectivity: It should go without saying that a good AG should be able to view a situation from all sides, whether it is a criminal trial or a request for review. By the same token, they cannot let their personal feelings interfere with their good sense. They must know when to step aside and allow a deputy to prosecute (or to allow their deputy the decision to decline prosecution).[li]Efficiency: If the AG takes too long to build a case against a rogue delegate, they may depart for good before charges can be brought. If a government action goes unchallenged for months before any legal question is brought against it, the court may decide that the question is no longer worth considering. Legal matters are timely things. When their time passes, interest in them fades, even if the importance of resolving them does not. For that reason, the AG should be deliberate in their decision-making - but once they make a decision, they must execute it efficiently.[/li][/ul]
If I am elected, I promise to center my work around these values and instill them in my deputies as well. If you agree with them, I humbly ask for your vote.