The Wilkonian Court System refers to the totality of justices and judical systems used in both civil and criminal law within The Empire of Wilkonia and Baja.
For criminal violations all residents, not just citizens, retain the right to trial, but not trial by jury. Thus most cases are handled as a hearing with a Justices of the Law who is appointed by the Monarch and carries a concurrent title. Appeal would be to the court of fact then to the court of law and then to the court of appeals. For cases which would normally arise before a justice of the law a petition may be granted by the Court of the District (Court of fact) that the case may first be heard by them. In all cases where the maximum sentence is death or life imprisonment they shall always begin in the Court of the District. Any appeal to the next court, the Court of Appeals, shall be on the basis of the law argued and applied alone. Final appeal to the Royal Court of Appeals, whose members by virtue of judgeship hold Royal Title, shall be free to review both fact and law under dispute. In all cases involving citizenry of the nation appeal may be made directly to the Monarch and he or she may, by law, grant an audience to judge the case. All such decisions are final and may not be appealed save that any sentence of death must go immediately before the Royal Court of Appeals. For simplicity a brief outline:
|----Hearing before a Justice of the Law ---|
| |
Criminal Complaint ---| |--- Court of the District
| |
|---Petition Granted for Trial by Court ----|
Court of the District --> Court of Appeals --> Royal Court of Appeals
For civil violations all cases must first be heard before a Justice of the Peace within the county from which the complaint arose. Thereafter appeal is to the Court of the Equity and then to the Royal Court of Equity. Both of the appeals courts retain the right to rule on both fact and law. No appeal to the Monarch is permitted formally though nothing by law prevents any peer from requesting an audience and intervention by the Sovereign. Of note is that the Court’s retain their distinctive title as Courts of “Equity” however their findings and rulings, as with the courts of the criminal system, are to matters and rulings of both law and equity. The title relates to the fact that equity and law were once divided as criminal and civil are now. That is before there was a court of law with jurisdiction for both civil and criminal and a court of equity for both civil and criminal. Now there is a court of law and equity for criminal and a court of law and equity for civil.