Magistrate Roleplaying Guide

In the interests of promoting and assisting the believability of the Stormwind House of Magistrates, a number of individuals have contributed to guides for legal role-play. This Judge Roleplaying Guide contains pointers and tips to those who would role-play standing as a judge in a court.

Dislaimer: ''It is by no means mandatory for individuals to follow this guide when role-playing judges. It is merely a list of suggestions that individuals can adopt for their own role-play.''

=Accountability=

To be a judge is to make decisions that impact the law and future legal cases in your character's court. The primary and often most controversial aspect of role-playing a judge or magistrate is that they are expected to pass judgements based not on their own morality, but by the laws of their land to the very letter. Anyone is welcome to role-play a judge who might be corrupt or morally driven, but in general, judges are law-bound to uphold the law over any of their personal feelings.

As a judge, your character's judgement will be questioned. If a side of the case can make a good enough argument that the court hearing was botched, they might be granted an appeal where the entire case will be heard again. If your character cannot back up their judgement with the law, then they might even be charged by other judges with malpractice!

The following actions by a judge could result in a court ruling being thrown out or appealed:

Bias

 * Refusing to remove themselves from the case if they know themselves to be biased.
 * Openly expressing bias or hostility towards the defense or prosecution.
 * Discussing the case with either the defense or prosecution before the hearing.
 * Taking bribes or gifts from anyone in regards to the case.

Evidence

 * Failing to listen to either the defense or prosecution's testimonies.
 * Attempting to prevent valid evidence from being brought forward.
 * Making blatantly obvious incorrect judgements in the face of evidence and law.

=Trial Procedure=

Be it a military tribunal or civil court case, every court hearing has a basic procedure. Feel free to use this guide to plan your trial!

Reading the Charges
A typical trial will be opened with a declaration of the charges the prosecution, or plaintiff, has brought against the defense, or defendant. It is very important that it is clarified that it is not known whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. That's what the trial is for!

For example:

"Bob stands accused by Larry of horse theft and vandalization of Larry's fence."

Defendant's Plea
After the charges are read, the judge will then ask the defendant whether or not he pleas guilty or innocent of each charge. Keep in mind that the defendant can plea guilty to some charges but innocent to others.

For example:

"Bob, how do you plea against these charges?"

"I plead guilty to horse theft, but I didn't wreck no fence, yer' honor!"

Opening Statements
After the defendant pleads guilty or innocent, both sides of the case will take turns making statements and outlining their side of the case. The prosecution usually goes first. During this time the judge should take note of the facts presented and remain open minded. No judgement should be passed yet.

For example:

"Larry, you may make your opening statements."

"Bob stole my horse and used it to wreck my fence!" ... etc.

"Bob, you may make your opening statements."

"I took his horse, but I didn't wreck his fence! He did it afterwards!" ... etc.

Examine Evidence, Defendant and Witnesses
Once the opening statements are made, each side of the case should be asked to present their evidence and any witnesses they have. The judge can also question the defendant for any alibi he might have. In RP, evidence is pretty much up to the individuals who are part of the trial, so feel free to be creative with it!

For example:

"The defendant can now present any evidence or witness accounts."

"Yer' honor, the investigator I hired found that Larry's fence was wrecked with a hammer, not a horse! See! Look at the marks on the wood!" ... etc.

Closing Arguments
Once all evidence has been presented, the prosecution and defense can make their final arguments to the judge. These are generally a summary of the evidence presented and the stance of both the prosecution and the defense.

For example:

"Larry, you may make your closing arguments."

"I still say that Bob stole my horse and wrecked my fence with it!" ... etc.

"Bob, you may make your closing arguments."

"I may have stolen his horse, but I didn't wreck his fence with it! Look at the marks on the wood!" ... etc.

Judgement
After all is said and done, it is the judge's call whether or not the defendant is guilty or innocent. The Judge can pass judgement himself after going over the evidence and the law, or he could leave the judgement to a randomly selected jury.

If a jury ruling is selected, the judge must advise the jury of what the law is in regards to the case and then review what evidence was presented. The jury must then decide the judgement either unanimously or by majority rule and pass their decision to the judge.

The judge will then take the decision of the jury and announce it to the court, assigning the reciprocal punishment if the defendant is found guilty. The punishment decided should be talked over out of character with the player of the defendant beforehand so no bad feelings come of the in-character decision!

For example:

"Bob. The jury have found you guilty of horse theft but innocent of vandalizing Larry's fence. You are hereby sentenced to have your right hand cut off."

"Gosh darn it!"