Stormwind House of Magistrates

The Stormwind House of Magistrates is the pinnacle of the Kingdom of Stormwind's legal justice system. Established centuries ago by the House of Wrynn to oversee legal affairs within the Kingdom of Azeroth and act as a central gathering of the Magistrates of the land, the role has of the House has fluctuated over the years. With the destruction of Stormwind at the end of the First Great War, the House was, by default, abolished with the Horde occupation of the Kingdom of Azeroth.

So it has come to pass that in the years succeeding the Cataclysm King Varian Wrynn has found need of resurrecting the old institution to once again serve his kingdom.

Function & Membership
The House of Magistrates functions as a gathering of all those who carry the title of Magistrate within the Kingdom of Stormwind. It is here that legal scholars, barristers and judges all gather to discuss and entertain legal notions and problems that arise within the kingdom. The number of Magistrates sitting in the House fluctuates at the whim of the King, although the number of sitting members can grow large (as it contains visiting scholars, local barristers, and ministry adjundents) the number of voting members is usually quite small.

The court itself is lead by a Lord or High Magistrate. The Lord / High Magistrate acts as the presiding officer of the House and carries the responsibilities of organizing the court’s portfolio, qualifying Magistrates to sit in the House and on the various courts, as well as holding the position as Magistrate of the Stormwind High Court.

The House, on rare occasion, also hears and decides on major legal challenges and trials brought forth before it. Those of high standing accussed of high treason, regicide, and high crimes against the Kingdom may all have their   cases heard before a select committee of magistrates from the House known as the Stormwind High Court.

The House also acts as an outlet by which the general citizenry of the kingdom might come and air their grievances, concerns, or plights. The House meets in this "Open Session" one a month.

Qualifications
Taken from Lord Dudley Black's Legal Dictionary:

"Wearing the Magisterial robes is not only one of sacred honor, but also one of great judicial and social responsibility. Serving on the bench of the court requires that one be knowledgeable of Stormwind’s laws, as well as wise in their execution and loyal to the spirit of order within the Kingdom. Magistrates upon the court are expected to act with even greater wisdom than their regional peers, for their decisions have the ability to reverberate throughout the entirety of the kingdom and the future to come.

In addition to the obvious legal burdens placed upon the House, the Magistrates also have a weight of social responsibility placed upon them. As the high agents of the law, Magistrates must act with the utmost of nobility, honor, and integrity, for they are the Exemplars and incarnations of Stormwind’s respect for law and order. Any legal infraction on the part of a Magistrate is grounds for immediate dismissal at the decision of the Lord or High Magistrate. Magistrates must also be able to command the utter respect of those beneath them, for their words are expected to convey the authority of the law. If their voices are generally thought of as insufficient then they are clearly unsuitable vessels by which to carry out the law."