Oaths of Office Act

Oaths of Office Act

An Act to establish, regulate, formalise and mandate Oaths of Office for Members of the Council of Ministers, Members of the House of Nobles (Lords Temporal), Justices of the Peace (Magistrates), Servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Stormwind (Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen) and Constables of the Peace (Guards).

AUTHOR: Lord Baldassar Greyson-Partiger, Baron of Daubaine SPONSORS: Lord Galmone Smith, Baron of Aurumsmark; Lord Vaerien Greyson, Baron of Greygrove; Lady Oliviana Tate, Baroness of Riverwall;

BE IT ENACTED by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Manner of administration of oaths Any oath may be administered and taken in the Kingdom of Stormwind, its provinces and territories, in the following form and manner:— The person taking the oath shall hold the Tome of Divinity in his left hand, with his right hand uplifted, and shall say or repeat after the officer the words of the oath prescribed by law. The officer shall (unless the person taking the oath voluntarily objects thereto, or is physically incapable of so taking the oath) administer the oath in the form and manner aforesaid without question. In this section, “officer” means any person duly authorised to administer oaths.

2 Validity of oaths In any case in which an oath may lawfully be and has been administered to any person, if it has been administered in a form and manner other than that prescribed by law by reason of conscientious alteration or error, he is bound by it as if it it were administered in a form and manner congruent to that prescribed by law. The provisions of Section 2(1) still apply should the alteration to the form and manner of the oath be in such a way as to include and honour any further divinities and/or subdivinities so long as those divinities and/or subdivinities are no enemy to the Light, to Stormwind or to the Alliance. The provisions of Section 2(1) still apply should the alteration to the form and manner of the oath be in such a way as to include and honour the traditions and peculiarities of any particular unit of the Armed Forces of Stormwind or the Stormwind Guard.

3 Text of oaths for political and judicial offices Members of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Stormwind shall recite the following oath:— “I … do swear by the Light to be a true and faithful servant unto the King's Majesty as one of His Majesty's Council of Ministers. I will not know or understand of any manner of thing to be attempted, done or spoken against His Majesty's person, honour, crown or dignity royal. I will to my uttermost bear faith and allegiance to the King's Majesty; and will defend the King and kingdom from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. And generally in all things I will do as a faithful and true Servant ought to do to His Majesty. By Faith, so help me.” Members of the House of Nobles of the Kingdom of Stormwind shall recite the following oath:— “I … swear by the Light Almighty that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Anduin, his heirs and successors, according to law. By Faith, so help me.”. Justices of the Peace of the Kingdom of Stormwind shall recite the following oath:— "I … swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord King Anduin, First of his Name, in the office of Justice of the Peace and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of the Realm without fear or favour, affection or ill will."

4 Text of oaths for military and gendarmery personnel A Serviceman of the Armed Forces or Constable of the Peace of the Kingdom of Stormwind shall be required to take an oath sincerely affirming their personal loyalty to the Sovereign, and to discharge their duties faithfully as defined by their regimental handbook. Should an oath not be defined by the regimental handbook in line with the requirements of Section 4(1), the Serviceman or Constable shall be required to take the standard oath for their office. The standard oath of a Serviceman of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Stormwind is as follows:— “I … swear by the Light that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty, King Anduin, His Heirs and Successors, and that I will, as in duty bound, honestly and faithfully defend His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, in Person, Crown and Dignity against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, and of the generals (admirals / air officers) and officers set over me.” The standard oath of a Constable of the Peace of the Kingdom of Stormwind is as follows:— "I … do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve the King in the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental sentient rights and according equal respect to all people; and that I will, to the best of my power, cause the peace to be kept and preserved and prevent all offences against people and property; and that while I continue to hold the said office I will, to the best of my skill and knowledge, discharge all the duties thereof faithfully according to law."

4 Recusancy to oaths Any man who refuses to take the oath relevant to their office shall be considered recusant to that oath and will be prohibited from exercising the powers and privileges of that office, or receiving any form of salary or financial benefit relative to that office. Continued recusancy for a period of one month will result in the vacation of the office in which the recusant is meant to be serving.

5 Short title and commencement The short title of this act shall be the “Oaths of Office Act”. It shall come into force immediately after the granting of Royal Assent.