Summary
The Act of the Courts states how court cases should be conducted.
Details
Date enacted:
Current version:
Approved by:
11/March/2023
11/March/2023
Willow Cizdeizd I
Act of Law
| Section 0 |
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| This act of law of Hokoria is enforceable by the Central Government of Hokoria, as per the Declaration of Independence. |
| Section 1 |
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| Every individual being accused or charged with breaking an act of law or legislation ordered by the Head of State of Hokoria has the right to a fair trial. |
| Section 2 |
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| A fair trial consists of a judge, a jury, a defence party, and a prosecution party. Each party should have the opportunity to speak and present evidence before a judge and a jury. |
| Section 3 |
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| Only individuals appointed by the Head of State of Hokoria may have the position of judge in a court. Judges must be impartial. |
| Section 4 |
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| Individuals with citizen status may be requested to join the jury during a trial. They must be picked at random and must decide a unanimous ruling of either ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’. |
| Section 5 |
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| All evidence that a party wishes to be seen before a court must not have been tampered with. It must be submitted to the judge in order to be seen before the trial. |
| Section 6 |
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| Parties may request individuals to testify before the court. Only individuals with relevance to the court case may testify. |
| Section 7 |
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| Before an individual may speak before the court, they must read the oath stated in Section 8 of this Act of the Courts. |
| Section 8 |
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| I, [Name], swear that everything I present and say before this court is nothing but the truth. I acknowledge that I may be prosecuted for misleading the court if I am found to be consciously misleading the court. |
| Section 9 |
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| Once an individual reads the oath in Section 9 of this Act of the Courts, they should not mislead the court. Misleading the court may result in the detention and prosecution of the individual who committed the act intentionally. This is known as ‘misleading the court’. |
| Section 10 |
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| The jury must not be exposed to the case outside of the court. If any member of the jury is found to have accessed material outside of the court, they may be removed and replaced by the judge. |
| Section 11 |
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| If a judge or member of the jury is found to have taken a bribe, this may result in the detention and prosecution of the individual who committed the act. This is known as ‘taking bribes during a trial’. |
| Section 12 |
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| In the event that a trial cannot be maintained, a mistrial may be declared by the judge or the Head of State of Hokoria. A new court case must be set up at the soonest possible date. |
| Section 13 |
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| If the jury declares that the defendant is found guilty, the judge must decide the extent of their punishment based on what the court has heard. |
| Section 14 |
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| If the jury declares that the defendant is not found guilty, they must be released. The judge may decide whether the prosecution must pay fees on behalf of the defendant. |
| Section 15 |
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| Court verdicts or rulings may be contested after 10 days from the ruling and within one year of the trial. A new case must be put forward. |
| Section 16 |
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| Should a verdict be changed after a case, the court may pay any fees and should publicize the details of the case at the soonest possible time. |
| Section 17 |
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| All verdicts and rulings should be published by the Courts of Hokoria at the soonest possible time. |