- TNP Nation
- Ethnon
- Discord
- Marcus Antonius #8887
This is the first essay I have done since my Aeronautical Hydraulics phase in 1989.
I hope it cuts it
Have you ever been nominated as a candidate for Justice?
My name is Marcus Antonius. I have been playing NationStates since May and had been looking for an entry point into the more interesting aspect, for me, of Government. The game has become a routine in my life which keeps the old grey cells exercised, I joined the forum and published some items in the university. I still wanted more to do so I joined some ministries, which helps to keep me active. Then this nomination for justice came up out of the blue. Not one to back down from a challenge, I accepted the nomination. That started five days of excitement and fun for me.Also a lot of hard work in learning the Laws etc. I had no experience in TNP law, and also due to ignorance of it, I was set to be on the back foot. The result was I eventually ended up in last place, yet still took 21 percent of the vote. This made me thoughtful about the process and the system of how to become involved with the judiciary and that is what this article is about.
To gain information on becoming a Justice, I interviewed all three winning justices from the last election, held in November, Sillystring, Eluvatar and Limerick1. From these interviews I gleaned a lot of information and If you are ever interested in becoming a Justice. Here is a guide on how to become one.
The first requirement is, all three of the winning Justice's are agreed that, you need to have a good knowledge of the Constitution of The North Pacific and The Bill of Rights for all nations of The North Pacific, these were written in order to guide The North Pacific in it's practice of democratic governance. Also Laws, Rules and procedures.
You will find these documents within the The North Pacific Handbook in the Law Index. Here you will also find rules and procedures governing the Court, Regional Assembly, Security Council and Election commission. Various Treaties are also available to view. In order to present a clearer and more comprehensible legal system, the Regional Assembly undertakes to keep the law of the North Pacific organized and clear within the Legal Code of The North Pacific. This can be found in the forum by clicking the link that can be found in the Law Index of the TNP Handbook under Legal Code.
The next requirement is experience, this is very difficult for a “newcomer”, as more than likely they will have none. So how can you gain experience? From my interviews, Sillystring suggests “In my opinion, it's best to start out by participating and learning. Read the laws. Draft and critique RA {Regional Assembly) proposals. Maybe serve in the speaker's office. Ask questions of people who seem to know their stuff.” Eluvatar would suggest this advice “ Join the Attorney General's office, read up, and participate in legislative discussions.”
So how did our new Justices gain experience. Here in their own words are their answers. Sillystring, “I suppose I got experience the usual way? Holding different positions, getting involved, that kind of thing. Eluvatar, “Through writing legislation in various regions and through judicial work. Like my friend Gulliver, I have sometimes turned my pen to codification, which generally forces a pretty comprehensive understanding. Judicial work waxes and wanes, particularly under the AG's (Attorney General's) office, but is valuable hands on experience nonetheless.” Limerick1, “Well that was really the interesting thing about my first election, I had no experience besides what I had read, but the people chose me to fill a spot that had been vacated, so I would argue it was more out of necessity then anything.”
This leads onto my next question. What factors are important in the race to become a justice? Limerick1, interestingly answered this question with “be trustworthy, communicate with the voters, and know the law.” Sillystring also interestingly split the question into two questions and answered both. What Sillystring looks for when voting for Justices, “Me personally, I look for people who have a grasp of the laws, the role of the court, and who can show some critical thinking about tricky questions, even if they don't approach them the same way I would.” Sillystring believes the factors regarding what the citizens of TNP, value in a nominee. “It's my observation that the general public really likes name recognition. They like to vote for people they've seen around before. Demonstrating knowledge of TNP laws and procedures is a bonus. Well, that's not entirely fair. It's more that people who've served in other offices kind of get the benefit of the doubt and people assume they have enough knowledge to serve on the court. Newcomers have to show it more explicitly to have a real shot.”
This led nicely to the next question. In the case that all candidates are qualified, is there a risk that the election becomes a popularity contest? Limerick1 says confidently “Of course, there is no election that doesn’t have that risk, but I have faith in the citizens of TNP to avoid that practice.” Sillystring had a more fuller answer “I suppose, but an election is always a kind of popularity contest - people vote for who they most want to serve in that office. You can't really say for sure whether a voter wants a particular candidate in the office because they like them better, because they think they're more qualified, because they think that person will make decisions they agree with, etc. And if all candidates are well-qualified, I think it's incorrect to say that an election being decided on popularity is a "risk". You have to make decisions somehow, and as long as you're not voting for someone you think isn't qualified just because you like them, I personally think any method you use is gonna be pretty valid.”
One of my personal observations was that in TNP there are various ministries to assist the government, even an entry point for the NPA (North Pacific Army). These ministries provide training and experience in the career choices of the citizens. So where is the Ministry of Justice? The short answer is, there isn't one. All the ministries in TNP exist at the behest of the Delegate. All Ministers are appointed by the Delegate. Justice and the Courts are separate, the Delegate has no jurisdiction over them. Okay, so there is no ministry, so where do you learn the law, who provides training? it's a very important role after all.
I asked the questions relating to this, of the new Justices. Do you think there should be a way for a citizen to train up in Law? For instance, a tutorial or course? Eluvatar answered with “Yes. I've been working on and off on a Legal Manual; it currently has a piece on legal theory and decent analysis of the constitution, bill of rights, and at least much of the legal code as they stood a little while ago; it aimed also to analyse our treaties, court rulings, etc.” Limerick1 replied with ”The problem with training in law is that often you tell people how to think, I think the AG's office has made a good program to help those in need, it is called FIRST STOP.” When asked, do you think a Ministry of Justice should exist? Eluvatar answered with “We used to have a Ministry of Justice, headed either by the Minister of Justice or by the Attorney General (depending on time period). I think the Attorney General's office is an appropriate organ to provide legal education/assistance.” Limerick1 replied with “My personal opinion on a ministry of justice would be a nay, seeing as the workload the court gets now is very low, it would just seem to operate as a largely stagnant institution.” Sillystrings answer was a little bit chilling “There was a "minister of justice" under the old NPD, but that was a dictatorship and the minister existed just to find people guilty.” Scary stuff indeed!
So with all this learning and experience required of the Justice's and then the campaigning process. What 'stepping stone' got them into a position to run for justice the first time? Sillystring answered with “COE brought me into TNP to be a deputy speaker. He was going to be away for a few weeks of his term and wanted a deputy he could trust to take over and run the office while he was gone. Obviously, the speaker's office is one that deals a lot with laws and interpretation and everything so it was a really good crash course.” Eluvatar said “The first time I ran for justice was back in 2009 or so, I think, and I don't remember my precise motivations. I had previously served as Speaker, Delegate, and Vice Delegate, so I imagine I had pretty good name recognition.” As previously mentioned by Limerick1 “ Well that was really the interesting thing about my first election, I had no experience besides what I had read, but the people chose me to fill a spot that had been vacated, so I would argue it was more out of necessity then anything.”
As for myself, I was in the same position, a newcomer, no experience and legal knowledge crammed within a couple of weeks. I took 21 percent of the vote. What if I had succeeded?
To sum up I shall leave you with these words of wisdom from Sillystring.
“The Attorney General frequently prosecutes, but if they decline to do so, anybody can. The defendant can defend themselves, or can select anybody to be their defence counsel. The court writes its own procedures. The delegate and FA (Foreign Affairs) ministry write treaties. The RA (Regional Affairs) ministry writes laws.
Well I hoped you enjoyed the article, I enjoyed interviewing the Justices, it was a real pleasure and very informative. I wish to pass on my thanks to them for sparing their time and wish them all the very best for the future.
The final words I shall pass to Sillystring.
“Justice isn't, in general, an entry-level role. TNP has 6 years of history under just this constitution; if you try to jump into it without some basic groundwork first, you're gonna have trouble”.
I hope it cuts it
Have you ever been nominated as a candidate for Justice?
My name is Marcus Antonius. I have been playing NationStates since May and had been looking for an entry point into the more interesting aspect, for me, of Government. The game has become a routine in my life which keeps the old grey cells exercised, I joined the forum and published some items in the university. I still wanted more to do so I joined some ministries, which helps to keep me active. Then this nomination for justice came up out of the blue. Not one to back down from a challenge, I accepted the nomination. That started five days of excitement and fun for me.Also a lot of hard work in learning the Laws etc. I had no experience in TNP law, and also due to ignorance of it, I was set to be on the back foot. The result was I eventually ended up in last place, yet still took 21 percent of the vote. This made me thoughtful about the process and the system of how to become involved with the judiciary and that is what this article is about.
To gain information on becoming a Justice, I interviewed all three winning justices from the last election, held in November, Sillystring, Eluvatar and Limerick1. From these interviews I gleaned a lot of information and If you are ever interested in becoming a Justice. Here is a guide on how to become one.
The first requirement is, all three of the winning Justice's are agreed that, you need to have a good knowledge of the Constitution of The North Pacific and The Bill of Rights for all nations of The North Pacific, these were written in order to guide The North Pacific in it's practice of democratic governance. Also Laws, Rules and procedures.
You will find these documents within the The North Pacific Handbook in the Law Index. Here you will also find rules and procedures governing the Court, Regional Assembly, Security Council and Election commission. Various Treaties are also available to view. In order to present a clearer and more comprehensible legal system, the Regional Assembly undertakes to keep the law of the North Pacific organized and clear within the Legal Code of The North Pacific. This can be found in the forum by clicking the link that can be found in the Law Index of the TNP Handbook under Legal Code.
The next requirement is experience, this is very difficult for a “newcomer”, as more than likely they will have none. So how can you gain experience? From my interviews, Sillystring suggests “In my opinion, it's best to start out by participating and learning. Read the laws. Draft and critique RA {Regional Assembly) proposals. Maybe serve in the speaker's office. Ask questions of people who seem to know their stuff.” Eluvatar would suggest this advice “ Join the Attorney General's office, read up, and participate in legislative discussions.”
So how did our new Justices gain experience. Here in their own words are their answers. Sillystring, “I suppose I got experience the usual way? Holding different positions, getting involved, that kind of thing. Eluvatar, “Through writing legislation in various regions and through judicial work. Like my friend Gulliver, I have sometimes turned my pen to codification, which generally forces a pretty comprehensive understanding. Judicial work waxes and wanes, particularly under the AG's (Attorney General's) office, but is valuable hands on experience nonetheless.” Limerick1, “Well that was really the interesting thing about my first election, I had no experience besides what I had read, but the people chose me to fill a spot that had been vacated, so I would argue it was more out of necessity then anything.”
This leads onto my next question. What factors are important in the race to become a justice? Limerick1, interestingly answered this question with “be trustworthy, communicate with the voters, and know the law.” Sillystring also interestingly split the question into two questions and answered both. What Sillystring looks for when voting for Justices, “Me personally, I look for people who have a grasp of the laws, the role of the court, and who can show some critical thinking about tricky questions, even if they don't approach them the same way I would.” Sillystring believes the factors regarding what the citizens of TNP, value in a nominee. “It's my observation that the general public really likes name recognition. They like to vote for people they've seen around before. Demonstrating knowledge of TNP laws and procedures is a bonus. Well, that's not entirely fair. It's more that people who've served in other offices kind of get the benefit of the doubt and people assume they have enough knowledge to serve on the court. Newcomers have to show it more explicitly to have a real shot.”
This led nicely to the next question. In the case that all candidates are qualified, is there a risk that the election becomes a popularity contest? Limerick1 says confidently “Of course, there is no election that doesn’t have that risk, but I have faith in the citizens of TNP to avoid that practice.” Sillystring had a more fuller answer “I suppose, but an election is always a kind of popularity contest - people vote for who they most want to serve in that office. You can't really say for sure whether a voter wants a particular candidate in the office because they like them better, because they think they're more qualified, because they think that person will make decisions they agree with, etc. And if all candidates are well-qualified, I think it's incorrect to say that an election being decided on popularity is a "risk". You have to make decisions somehow, and as long as you're not voting for someone you think isn't qualified just because you like them, I personally think any method you use is gonna be pretty valid.”
One of my personal observations was that in TNP there are various ministries to assist the government, even an entry point for the NPA (North Pacific Army). These ministries provide training and experience in the career choices of the citizens. So where is the Ministry of Justice? The short answer is, there isn't one. All the ministries in TNP exist at the behest of the Delegate. All Ministers are appointed by the Delegate. Justice and the Courts are separate, the Delegate has no jurisdiction over them. Okay, so there is no ministry, so where do you learn the law, who provides training? it's a very important role after all.
I asked the questions relating to this, of the new Justices. Do you think there should be a way for a citizen to train up in Law? For instance, a tutorial or course? Eluvatar answered with “Yes. I've been working on and off on a Legal Manual; it currently has a piece on legal theory and decent analysis of the constitution, bill of rights, and at least much of the legal code as they stood a little while ago; it aimed also to analyse our treaties, court rulings, etc.” Limerick1 replied with ”The problem with training in law is that often you tell people how to think, I think the AG's office has made a good program to help those in need, it is called FIRST STOP.” When asked, do you think a Ministry of Justice should exist? Eluvatar answered with “We used to have a Ministry of Justice, headed either by the Minister of Justice or by the Attorney General (depending on time period). I think the Attorney General's office is an appropriate organ to provide legal education/assistance.” Limerick1 replied with “My personal opinion on a ministry of justice would be a nay, seeing as the workload the court gets now is very low, it would just seem to operate as a largely stagnant institution.” Sillystrings answer was a little bit chilling “There was a "minister of justice" under the old NPD, but that was a dictatorship and the minister existed just to find people guilty.” Scary stuff indeed!
So with all this learning and experience required of the Justice's and then the campaigning process. What 'stepping stone' got them into a position to run for justice the first time? Sillystring answered with “COE brought me into TNP to be a deputy speaker. He was going to be away for a few weeks of his term and wanted a deputy he could trust to take over and run the office while he was gone. Obviously, the speaker's office is one that deals a lot with laws and interpretation and everything so it was a really good crash course.” Eluvatar said “The first time I ran for justice was back in 2009 or so, I think, and I don't remember my precise motivations. I had previously served as Speaker, Delegate, and Vice Delegate, so I imagine I had pretty good name recognition.” As previously mentioned by Limerick1 “ Well that was really the interesting thing about my first election, I had no experience besides what I had read, but the people chose me to fill a spot that had been vacated, so I would argue it was more out of necessity then anything.”
As for myself, I was in the same position, a newcomer, no experience and legal knowledge crammed within a couple of weeks. I took 21 percent of the vote. What if I had succeeded?
To sum up I shall leave you with these words of wisdom from Sillystring.
“The Attorney General frequently prosecutes, but if they decline to do so, anybody can. The defendant can defend themselves, or can select anybody to be their defence counsel. The court writes its own procedures. The delegate and FA (Foreign Affairs) ministry write treaties. The RA (Regional Affairs) ministry writes laws.
Well I hoped you enjoyed the article, I enjoyed interviewing the Justices, it was a real pleasure and very informative. I wish to pass on my thanks to them for sparing their time and wish them all the very best for the future.
The final words I shall pass to Sillystring.
“Justice isn't, in general, an entry-level role. TNP has 6 years of history under just this constitution; if you try to jump into it without some basic groundwork first, you're gonna have trouble”.
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