March 1st, 2018 marked the beginning of a new TNP judicial election cycle. Whilst more than 15 candidates were nominated, only five . Zyvetskistaahn, Clean Land, BMWSurfer, Scorch, and Lord Lore all put themselves forward for the position of Justice of the North Pacific.
On the 5th of March, campaigning began in earnest.
Zyvetskistaahn
Justice Zyvetskistaahn ran for their fourth term under the apt battle cry "YET MORE MONTHS" citing his extensive experience on the court. Zyvetskistaahn also cited that his time as Speaker of the Regional Assembly helped him develop a deeper understanding of the law. Zyvetskistaahn's main goals for the term were to increase ease of use by establishing set templates for everything from Criminal Indictments, to requests for review. When questioned by Siwale on whether or not the court should be striving to meet the seven day goal present in the current law, Zyvetskistaahn responded that he did not mind having a soft deadline, as a ruling in such time is possible, but reminded us that it is in no one's interest for the court to rush decisions. Zyvetskistaahn's final question came from Deropia regarding their opinion on maximum/minimum sentencing. Zyvetskistaahn responded that they are not in favor of minimum sentencing as to them "...the harm caused by arbitrary mercy is, broadly, lesser than the harm caused by arbitrarily lengthy punishment..." Zyvetskistaahn was however in favor of maximum sentencing, as it prevents the court from setting unreasonable punishments. Zyvetskistaahn's full campaign can be found here.
Scorch
Justice Scorch also stood for re-election to his second term. Scorch admitted that most of the tasks of the court fall to the Chief justice, but he points out that he was still involved in discussions ranging from rule changes, to the creation of templates. As further evidence for his ability, Scorch cited his government career stretching back to 2016. Scorch also faced the same two questions from Siwale and Deropia. In regards to setting theoretical goals for the court, Scorch was in support of the clause stating the court should strive for seven-day decisions. Scorch believed that having a baseline is helpful for the court, and there is past precedent for the court ruling within that amount of time. In regards to question of maximum/minimum sentencing, Scorch was in favor of both, viewing them both as useful tools for the court. Scorch's full campaign can be found here.
Lord Lore
Lord Lore entered the election with a strong a resume. Citing a career in NS spanning over three years, as well as a long list of positions he has held, ranging from Minister of Justice in the region of Nevthronia, to Minister of Culture in the North Pacific. Lore also discussed his extensive work in the role play community. Lore stated that over the years he has written and analysed negotiations and laws while engaging in RP, and that this has given him an interesting perspectives on the interpretations of future laws. Lore also faced a different question from Siwale. Siwale asked Lore why he was running for public office after a two-year gap, to which Lore responded that he had been acting as a civil servant, but had a further "public service itch." Lore faced the same question from Deropia as the other candidates. Lore was not in favor of minimum/maximum sentencing, as he felt such rules hamper the court. He was however open to further dialogue on the matter. Lord Lore's full campaign can be found here.
BMWSurfer
BMWSurfer was a fresh face in the election, running for his first ever public office. Despite only having a year in NS, BMW is able to cite an admirable career in the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, where he has reviewed countless proposals of varying severity in the GA and SC. BMW's primary goal for the term was to uphold the integrity of the courts. Siwale's question to BMW was simply what made him wish to run for Justice. BMW responded that he wished to further serve the region ,and he felt the courts were the place for him to do that. When asked about minimum/maximum sentencing he responded that he in favor of maximum sentences as a means of maintaining fairness, but had no strong opinion on minimum sentencing. BMWSurfer's full campaign can be found here.
Clean Land
Clean Land ran a simple campaign stating that he would have the time needed to rule on court matters quickly. Additionally stating that he would also have time to re read other relevant court rulings before coming to conclusions. He continued his theme of court timeliness by saying he would also have no issue pointing out when other Justices are not meeting reasonable time standards. When asked about the issue of minimum/maximum sentencing, Clean Land felt that the rules regarding the two should be more defined as the current vagueness of the court leaves room for abuse. Clean Land also stated that he would have no personal goals as a Justice in order to remain fully unbiased. Clean Land's full campaign can be found here.
The election for Justice concluded on the 11th March with the election of Zyvetskistaahn, Scorch, and Lord Lore with 47, 45 and 33 votes respectively. The full election results can be found here.
On the 5th of March, campaigning began in earnest.
Zyvetskistaahn
Justice Zyvetskistaahn ran for their fourth term under the apt battle cry "YET MORE MONTHS" citing his extensive experience on the court. Zyvetskistaahn also cited that his time as Speaker of the Regional Assembly helped him develop a deeper understanding of the law. Zyvetskistaahn's main goals for the term were to increase ease of use by establishing set templates for everything from Criminal Indictments, to requests for review. When questioned by Siwale on whether or not the court should be striving to meet the seven day goal present in the current law, Zyvetskistaahn responded that he did not mind having a soft deadline, as a ruling in such time is possible, but reminded us that it is in no one's interest for the court to rush decisions. Zyvetskistaahn's final question came from Deropia regarding their opinion on maximum/minimum sentencing. Zyvetskistaahn responded that they are not in favor of minimum sentencing as to them "...the harm caused by arbitrary mercy is, broadly, lesser than the harm caused by arbitrarily lengthy punishment..." Zyvetskistaahn was however in favor of maximum sentencing, as it prevents the court from setting unreasonable punishments. Zyvetskistaahn's full campaign can be found here.
Scorch
Justice Scorch also stood for re-election to his second term. Scorch admitted that most of the tasks of the court fall to the Chief justice, but he points out that he was still involved in discussions ranging from rule changes, to the creation of templates. As further evidence for his ability, Scorch cited his government career stretching back to 2016. Scorch also faced the same two questions from Siwale and Deropia. In regards to setting theoretical goals for the court, Scorch was in support of the clause stating the court should strive for seven-day decisions. Scorch believed that having a baseline is helpful for the court, and there is past precedent for the court ruling within that amount of time. In regards to question of maximum/minimum sentencing, Scorch was in favor of both, viewing them both as useful tools for the court. Scorch's full campaign can be found here.
Lord Lore
Lord Lore entered the election with a strong a resume. Citing a career in NS spanning over three years, as well as a long list of positions he has held, ranging from Minister of Justice in the region of Nevthronia, to Minister of Culture in the North Pacific. Lore also discussed his extensive work in the role play community. Lore stated that over the years he has written and analysed negotiations and laws while engaging in RP, and that this has given him an interesting perspectives on the interpretations of future laws. Lore also faced a different question from Siwale. Siwale asked Lore why he was running for public office after a two-year gap, to which Lore responded that he had been acting as a civil servant, but had a further "public service itch." Lore faced the same question from Deropia as the other candidates. Lore was not in favor of minimum/maximum sentencing, as he felt such rules hamper the court. He was however open to further dialogue on the matter. Lord Lore's full campaign can be found here.
BMWSurfer
BMWSurfer was a fresh face in the election, running for his first ever public office. Despite only having a year in NS, BMW is able to cite an admirable career in the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, where he has reviewed countless proposals of varying severity in the GA and SC. BMW's primary goal for the term was to uphold the integrity of the courts. Siwale's question to BMW was simply what made him wish to run for Justice. BMW responded that he wished to further serve the region ,and he felt the courts were the place for him to do that. When asked about minimum/maximum sentencing he responded that he in favor of maximum sentences as a means of maintaining fairness, but had no strong opinion on minimum sentencing. BMWSurfer's full campaign can be found here.
Clean Land
Clean Land ran a simple campaign stating that he would have the time needed to rule on court matters quickly. Additionally stating that he would also have time to re read other relevant court rulings before coming to conclusions. He continued his theme of court timeliness by saying he would also have no issue pointing out when other Justices are not meeting reasonable time standards. When asked about the issue of minimum/maximum sentencing, Clean Land felt that the rules regarding the two should be more defined as the current vagueness of the court leaves room for abuse. Clean Land also stated that he would have no personal goals as a Justice in order to remain fully unbiased. Clean Land's full campaign can be found here.
The election for Justice concluded on the 11th March with the election of Zyvetskistaahn, Scorch, and Lord Lore with 47, 45 and 33 votes respectively. The full election results can be found here.
