[b:2cpx1v9i][u:2cpx1v9i]The judiciary - positions vacant[/u:2cpx1v9i][/b:2cpx1v9i]
Since the Representative Assembly this morning passed [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 5:2cpx1v9i]the Judiciary Act[/url:2cpx1v9i], a number of new judiciary-related offices have become vacant. Citizens of the Confederation of Democratic Simulators are invited to apply (by replying to this thread) for the vacant posts. I set out a description of those jobs below.
[b:2cpx1v9i]Chair of the Judiciary Commission[/b:2cpx1v9i]
The Chair of the Judiciary Commission [i:2cpx1v9i]administers[/i:2cpx1v9i] the judiciary. This post does not require specialist legal knowledge (the judge/judges would advise the Chair on such matters).
The job involves: (1) determining the capacity of the judiciary (specifically, setting the number of courts and judges); (2) judicial procurement and budget management; (3) overseeing education and training (although it is expected that this would be provided in large part by the judge/judges); (4) overseeing judicial archiving and records (possibly with the help of the PIO) (5) promoting our judiciary (again, possibly with the help of the PIO, and no doubt the judge/judges will help, too); and (6) hiring and firing administrative staff (in particular, court clerks - alternatively, the Chair of the Judiciary Commission could act as a court clerk).
No budget has yet been formally approved for a salary for this post, but it is hoped that one will be approved at the next meeting of the Representative Assembly. The standard CDS salary for civil servants is L$1,000 per calendar month. If applicants are only willing to undertake this task if paid, then they should state so on the application.
The Chair of the Judiciary Commission is appointed by the Scientific Council.
The Chair of the Judiciary Commission is a very important post, and I should strongly encourage anybody interested in working in a very important civil service job to apply as soon as possible.
[b:2cpx1v9i]Judges of Common Jurisdiction[/b:2cpx1v9i]
What judges do is self-evidant. The first judge will be appointed by a two-stage process, involving the Scientific Council qualifying the judge, and the Representative Assembly appointing the judge. Further judges will be qualified by existing judges, and appointed by a Public Judiciary Scrutiny Panel (see below).
I have formally applied to the Scientific Council to be qualified as a judge.
[b:2cpx1v9i]Members of the Public Judiciary Scrutiny Panel[/b:2cpx1v9i]
The Public Judiciary Scrutiny Panel selects new judges from a list of those qualified as judges by existing judges (if there are any), or by the Scientific Council (if there are none). When there are fewer than three people on the PJSP, the Representative Assembly appoints judges instead.
However, the Public Judiciary Scrutiny Panel has other functions, as well, including investigating any complaints into the judiciary, and providing (or procuring from others) alternative dispute resolution services. The idea is that the Public Judiciary Scrutiny Panel is a popular but apolitical overseer of the judiciary. For that reason, members or affiliates of political factions are not allowed to sit on the panel.
Although the posts will not be paid, it is expected that the workload will be light, because there will not need to be many rounds of judicial appointments, and I am hoping that there will not be very many complaints, either.
The panel will consist of five people (but can run with as few as three if not as many as five people can be found), who are chosen by way of popular election. The timing of the election has not yet been fixed, but I suspect that that will partly depend on when people apply in any case.
I should encourage those who have taken an active interest in the judiciary debate, but who are not members of political factions, to stand to be elected to this office.