Law:El Lexhatx: Difference between revisions
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8. Public Defender: No Talossan shall be convicted of any crime under this Lexhatx unless they have had the opportunity of defending themselves in Court. The Ministry of Justice shall appoint a Public Defender who is a member of the Talossan Bar at the request of any defendant, or if the defendant is for any other reason unable to defend themselves in Court. ([[56RZ2]]) | 8. Public Defender: No Talossan shall be convicted of any crime under this Lexhatx unless they have had the opportunity of defending themselves in Court. The Ministry of Justice shall appoint a Public Defender who is a member of the Talossan Bar at the request of any defendant, or if the defendant is for any other reason unable to defend themselves in Court. ([[56RZ2]]) | ||
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|note={{Highlight|color=lightgreen|The renumbering following Lexh.A.8 should be secured by law, as [[57RZ13]] only provided for the deletion of former § A.9 but not for the renumbering of the following sections}}--[[User:Ugot|Üc R. Tärfâ]] ([[User talk:Ugot|talk]]) 09:33, 17 March 2023 (CDT) | |||
}} | |||
9. The Ziu hereby recognizes the historic right of churches and other religious organizations to offer sanctuary to individuals in dire need. ([[33RZ13]]) | 9. The Ziu hereby recognizes the historic right of churches and other religious organizations to offer sanctuary to individuals in dire need. ([[33RZ13]]) | ||
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::2.6.4. Any Treaty or agreements with any nation, micronation or organisation, that a) has the force of law in Talossa; b) relates to the official recognition of a foreign nation; or c) relates to forming or joining any sort of alliance with another nation or micronation, will only be valid upon ratification by the Ziu. | ::2.6.4. Any Treaty or agreements with any nation, micronation or organisation, that a) has the force of law in Talossa; b) relates to the official recognition of a foreign nation; or c) relates to forming or joining any sort of alliance with another nation or micronation, will only be valid upon ratification by the Ziu. | ||
::2.6.5 | ::2.6.5 <ref>this section is blank per [[57RZ13]]</ref> | ||
:2.6.6 The Bureau for Humanitarian Aid and International Development (The Bureau) shall serve as the hub for the Kingdom of Talossa's support for disaster and poverty relief and other forms of humanitarian assistance, emergency response and the promotion of efforts towards socioeconomic development. ([[52RZ13]]) | :2.6.6 The Bureau for Humanitarian Aid and International Development (The Bureau) shall serve as the hub for the Kingdom of Talossa's support for disaster and poverty relief and other forms of humanitarian assistance, emergency response and the promotion of efforts towards socioeconomic development. ([[52RZ13]]) |
Revision as of 09:33, 17 March 2023
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I'm in the process of determining if brackets have been added as a note (they can be safely added as a useful footnote) or in the text of the law (they can only be removed by law). These will be highlighted
. Moreover I will highlight those parts of text that need renumbering, to be corrected, etc.--Üc R. Tärfâ (talk) 06:25, 17 March 2023 (CDT) |
A. General Crime
1. General provisions of Talossan jurisprudence:
- 1.1. Talossan courts shall interpret Organic and Statute Law through the lens of the Covenants of Rights and Freedoms, and otherwise in accordance with Talossan juridical precedent. Judges may also use precedent from other legal systems with which they are familiar to guide their decisions, though such precedent shall not be binding.
- 1.2. Only crimes described in Talossan Organic and Statute Law may be prosecuted in Talossan courts.
- 1.3. A single action of a defendant may be considered to break more than one law and may be charged accordingly.
2. Felonies and misdemeanours. All crimes against Talossan law shall be classed as misdemeanours unless stated otherwise.
3. Authorized punishments for all crimes classed as felonies shall be as follows:
- 3.1. Banishment. Banishment may be ordered in conjunction with revocation of citizenship in any felony case. Banishment prohibits the former citizen from entering the territory of the Kingdom of Talossa. A former Talossan who has been banished may not be reinstated as a citizen.
- 3.2. Revocation of citizenship. A sentence of revocation of citizenship directs the Chancery to remove the offender from the list of Talossan citizens. Simple revocation is without prejudice to a future reapplication for citizenship.
4. Authorized punishments for all crimes classed as either felonies or serious misdemeanours shall be as follows:
- 4.1. Civil disability. Civil disabilities may include any or all of the following, for a maximum term of 5 calendar years for a felony or 1 calendar year for a serious misdemeanour:
- 4.1.1. Bar from holding national executive office
- 4.1.2. Bar from holding national judicial office
- 4.1.3. Bar from holding national legislative office
- 4.1.4. Bar from holding provincial office
- 4.1.5. Bar from performing military service
- 4.1.6. Bar from service in the Royal Civil Service
- 4.1.7. Bar from posting on Wittenberg
5. Authorized punishments for all crimes shall be as follows:
- 5.1. Fines. When a fine is imposed as a component of any sentence, the court shall specify the period within which the sum must be paid, which period shall not be less than thirty days. The court may, in the interests of justice, allow the offender to pay the sum in more than one installment, according to a schedule prescribed by the court. Willful failure to pay a fine within the time provided is punishable as criminal contempt of court. The maximum fine that may be levied is ℓ500 for a felony, ℓ100 for a serious misdemeanour or ℓ50 for a misdemeanour.
- 5.2. Restitution. When imposing sentence for any crime, a court, in addition to any other penalty authorized by law, shall order the offender to make full or partial restitution to any victim of a crime considered at sentencing or, if the victim is deceased, to his or her estate, unless the court finds substantial reason not to do so and states the reason on the record. The court must specify a reasonable period of time, not less than thirty days, within which the offender must make restitution. Willful failure to make restitution within the time provided is punishable as criminal contempt of court. Court-ordered restitution shall not bar any victim from pursuing any civil remedies available at law to recover any amount or type of damages not covered by the order of restitution.
- 5.3. Reprimand. In all criminal cases, a court may reprimand the offender in addition to (or in lieu of, where no minimum punishment applies) any other authorized punishment.
6. Suspended sentences:
- 6.1. A court may order the suspension of all or part of any sentence, for a period of time not to exceed five calendar years. At the end of the period of suspension ordered by the court, the suspended punishment is rescinded if the offender has not violated any condition of the suspension.
- 6.2. If a court determines, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the offender violated any condition of his suspension during the period of the suspension, the suspension shall be revoked and the original punishment imposed. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit prosecuting an act violating a condition of suspension as a criminal offense in its own right, either in the same or a separate action as the revocation of suspension.
- 6.3. Refraining from committing any further crimes is an implicit condition of every suspended sentence. Other conditions which may be imposed by the court include, but are not limited to:
- 6.3.1. Injunction from requesting or accepting royal honours
- 6.3.2. Injunction from violating Wittiquette
- 6.3.3. The performance of a fixed amount of community service under the supervision of a public body or not-for-profit organization, as directed or approved by the court.
- 6.4. Civil disabilities may be imposed in conjunction with a suspended sentence upon conviction of a felony, but where a sentence of revocation of citizenship has been suspended.
7. Talossan Criminal Code
- 7.1. Definitions.
- 7.1.1. “Fraud” shall mean any act of deception carried out for the purpose of unfair, undeserved and/or unlawful gain, or the assumption of a false identity to such deceptive end.
- 7.1.2. “Harassment” shall mean engaging in a course of conduct or repeatedly committing acts which harass, intimidate or distress a person and which serve no legitimate purpose.
- 7.2. Crimes against the Kingdom.
- 7.2.1. Treason. Whoever knowingly endangers the existence of the Kingdom of Talossa, its laws, institutions and state property, by enlisting or attempting to enlist the aid of non-Talossans, commits the felony of treason.
- 7.2.2. Perverting the course of justice. Whoever uses fraud, harassment, physical or sexual violence or threats thereof to attempt to influence an active case in any Cort under the Organic Law is guilty of the felony of perverting the course of justice.
- 7.2.2.1. Perverting the course of justice shall also include fabricating or disposing of evidence, as well as suborning perjury.
- 7.2.3. Sedition. Whoever uses fraud, harassment, physical or sexual violence or threats thereof to attempt to influence any election or any other decision made under the Organic Law of Talossa (outside of an active case in any Cort), or to remove or replace officials duly empowered by that Organic Law, is guilty of the felony of sedition.
- 7.2.4. Contempt of court. Contempt of court is a serious misdemeanour consisting of intentional:
- 7.2.4.1. Misconduct in the presence of the court which interferes with a court proceeding or with the administration of justice, or which impairs the respect due the court;
- 7.2.4.2. Disobedience, resistance or obstruction of the authority, process or order of a court;
- 7.2.4.3. Refusal as a witness to appear, be sworn or answer a question; or
- 7.2.4.4. Refusal to produce a record, document or other object.
- 7.2.5. Perjury. Whoever under oath or affirmation orally makes a false material statement which the person does not believe to be true, in any matter, cause, action or proceeding, before the Ziu, any committee of the Ziu, or court of law, is guilty of the serious misdemeanour of perjury.
- 7.2.6. Crimes against state property.
- 7.2.6.1. Whoever steals or diverts to their own use without authorization the monetary or physical property of the Kingdom of Talossa is guilty of a felony if the monetary value of such theft is 100 louis or above, and a serious misdemeanour otherwise.
- 7.2.6.2. Whoever improperly uses the intellectual property of the Kingdom of Talossa is guilty of a serious misdemeanour if with the intention of misrepresenting the Kingdom or improperly claiming the authority of the Kingdom, and a misdemeanour otherwise.
- 7.2.6.3. Whoever improperly accesses any computer or information system belonging to the Kingdom of Talossa is guilty of a serious misdemeanour if with the intention of committing any other crime, and of a misdemeanour otherwise.
- 7.2.6.4. Whoever makes a counterfeit of any official document or item pertaining to the Kingdom of Talossa and uses it to gain a benefit to which they were not otherwise entitled is guilty of a serious misdemeanour.
- 7.2.7. Solicitation. Whoever induces or attempts to induce any other Talossan to break the Law of Talossa is guilty of the same class of offence as that which they sought to induce.
- 7.2.8. Conspiracy. Whoever agrees with any other Talossan to break the Law of Talossa is guilty of the same class of offence as that which they agreed to commit.
- 7.2.9. Bribery. The felony of bribery is committed by:
- 7.2.9.1. Anyone who offers any officer of the Kingdom or witness in a Court case anything of value in return for the performance of their official duties or to influence their testimony.
- 7.2.9.2. Any officer of the Kingdom or witness in a Court case who accepts a bribe (as above) without revealing it as soon as may be practical to the proper authorities.
- 7.2.10 Bringing Talossa into disrepute. Any Talossan citizen who has been convicted by a credible foreign court, which has been deemed to abide by Talossan values, of a crime established at trial to have involved fraud, harassment, bribery, physical or sexual violence or threats thereof, has committed the crime of bringing Talossa into disrepute to the following degrees:
- 7.2.10.1 A felony if sentenced to penal servitude of more than 2 years.
- 7.2.10.2 A serious misdemeanour otherwise. (56RZ3)
- 7.3. Crimes against the person
- 7.3.1. Whoever commits physical or sexual violence or threats thereof against any citizen or "judicial person" under Talossan law is guilty of a felony.
- 7.3.2. Whoever commits fraud or harassment against any citizen or "judicial person" under Talossan law is guilty of a serious misdemeanour. Whoever commits threats of the above is guilty of a misdemeanour.
- 7.3.3. Theft and invasion of privacy.
- 7.3.3.1. Whoever commits theft or misappropriation of physical or monetary property valued at 100 louis or more, or improperly publishes a Talossan citizen’s private information, is guilty of a felony.
- 7.3.3.2. Whoever commits theft or misappropriation of physical or monetary property valued at less than 100 louis, or of any intellectual property, or improperly accesses a Talossan citizen’s private information without publication, is guilty of a serious misdemeanour.
- 7.3.4. Defamation. Whoever publicly defames the reputation of a Talossan individual without justification in such a way as to bring them into hatred, ridicule and contempt is guilty of a serious misdemeanour.
- 7.3.4.1. No statement shall be considered to be defamation if it is justified by being true, or by being fair comment in the absence of malicious intent.
- 7.3.5. Whoever deprives an individual of the free exercise of their rights under the Organic Law in a way not otherwise mentioned in law commits a serious misdemeanour.
8. Public Defender: No Talossan shall be convicted of any crime under this Lexhatx unless they have had the opportunity of defending themselves in Court. The Ministry of Justice shall appoint a Public Defender who is a member of the Talossan Bar at the request of any defendant, or if the defendant is for any other reason unable to defend themselves in Court. (56RZ2)
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The renumbering following Lexh.A.8 should be secured by law, as 57RZ13 only provided for the deletion of former § A.9 but not for the renumbering of the following sections--Üc R. Tärfâ (talk) 09:33, 17 March 2023 (CDT) |
9. The Ziu hereby recognizes the historic right of churches and other religious organizations to offer sanctuary to individuals in dire need. (33RZ13)
10. Gay Talossans are hereby accorded all the rights of their heterosexual counterparts. This simply means that the rights and responsibilities associated with property, marriage and adoption apply to all Talossans equally. Gay Talossans may not be discriminated against in any way on the basis of their sexuality with regards to any activities within the Kingdom and its territories, including employment, Government operations and military service. This law gives no preference to any Talossan on the basis of his/her sexual identification, but simply renders such a consideration absolutely irrelevant. (13RC32)
11. Marriage is a civil right, guaranteed to all consenting citizens of proper age regardless of their sex or sexual orientation. Any sacredness of marriage is between the parties involved and is a strictly personal issue. The Kingdom recognises any and all form of marriage or legal union between two persons that fall under this definition, hereby re-asserting the rights given to its citzens by the Organic Law; and provides Talossan Invincible Moral Support to those who are seeking to have the laws of their country reflect the far more progressive laws of Talossa. (49RZ9, 32RZ25)
12. Churches and religious communities administer their own affairs. In particular, they constitute their own institutions, inaugurate their clergy, organize the teaching of religion, and establish religious orders and similar institutions independently of state interference. (25RZ5)
- 12.1 The state does not have the right to intervene either in the nomination or the installation of ministers of any religion whatsoever.
- 12.2. Religious organizations are subject to their own rules and procedures. All Talossans have the right to leave any religious association from which they dissent. (49RZ17)
- 12.3. Religious freedom can be limited only by law, if such a measure is unavoidable in a democratic society to protect health, public order, public morality, or the rights and liberties of nonmembers.
13. All cybercits are actually Talossan exiles, residing outside of Talossa against their own free will and should be officially treated as such. (25RZ11)
14. No Cestoûr (non-citizen or ex-citizen) shall have an account on Wittenberg, except by explicit permission of the Seneschál. Such permission shall be extended solely at the will of the Seneschál, and may be withdrawn at any time. (35RZ2)
- 14.1. Any citizen acting as Administrator of Wittenberg shall act promptly to enforce the instructions of the Seneschál as to which non-citizens, if any, may have accounts.
- 14.2. All non-citizen participants of the internet forums of the Kingdom of Talossa shall heretofore be identified by a specific avatar graphic, specifically an image indicating a passport for invited guests, and indicating a visa for prospective citizens. Further the "personal text" to be used by such persons shall also be fixed as "Applicant for Citizenship" or "Invited Guest" or "Foreign Citizen" or "International Tourist" or other such language, at the determination of the forum administrator as he or she determines appropriate. (35PD2)
15. Except as provided in A.17, whoever does any of the following is guilty of a crime subject to punishment by banishment, revocation of citizenship, any combination of civil disabilities and any other authorized punishments: (36RZ10)
- 15.1. Makes any fraudulent or dishonest claims or statements on his or her application for citizenship, including his or her claims or statements to the Cort, the Immigration Minister and any deputies of the minister or to Cosâ members. (47RZ8)
- 15.2. Uses another person's identity or uses an identity that creates the impression of another person to post or convey messages via email or on any public forum in the Kingdom of Talossa. (47RZ5)
- 15.3. Creates, for purposes of claiming citizenship or with the intent to deceive or mislead other Talossans, more than one identity for use in the Kingdom of Talossa, excepting name-changes that replace an earlier name previously held by the same person.
16. The Kingdom of Talossa hereby officially recognizes, supports, and endorses the ideals and goals detailed within the United Nations Charter, and that we hereby declare our intentions to join the august body of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and avows that Talossa will meet the obligations which are a part of being a member with full faith and our greatest exertions. (39RZ6)
17. It is resolved by the Ziu of the Kingdom of Talossa that the nation shall officially adhere to the Geneva Conventions, specifically conventions I, II, III, and IV, as well as all subsequently issued "additional protocols" as of January 1, 2012. (39RZ23)
18. the Ziu hereby requires that any and all official or officially-sanctioned websites, social networking pages, online Embassies, and any other future form of Internet group be run by an assigned Ministry from the Prime Minister, assigned member of the government, or private citizens, when explicit permission is granted by the Prime Minister. (39RZ15)
- 18.1. Non-government sanctioned web sites in relation to Talossa, including social networking sites and profile names, must have clear and visible text that says the page is an UNOFFICIAL website.
- 18.2. It is up to the Prime Minister or his delegate to decide and outline what constitutes “clear and visible” and determine any violations.
- 18.3. The Prime Minister or his delegate shall monitor both official and unofficial Talossan websites, contact the owner as needed, and maintain a public list of official and bogus or fake sites as they are brought to the government’s attention
- 18.4. The Government of Talossa has the right to require the transfer of a website or a deletion of website if it is not made clear, within the government’s definition, that the existing site is UNOFFICIAL.
- 18.5. Violations of this provision may be considered acts of sedition or treason, punishable by warnings, fines, or revocation of citizenship.
- 18.6. Provincial websites shall be licensed by their respective governments under these same provisions.
19. It shall be legal in the Kingdom of Talossa to both have your cake and eat it too. (41RZ8)
20. The unauthorised usage of any official seal of the Crown, of the Government, or of any other official body, shall constitute a serious misdemeanour. Authorisation may be given by the Seneschal or the respective Minister, or by the head of the body concerned, or any of their duly designated proxies. (46RZ23)
- 20.1. The unauthorised bearing, signing or displaying of any official seal of the Crown, of the Government, or of any other official body, shall constitute a serious misdemeanour. Authorisation to bear any seal may be granted by the Seneschal, or the respective Minister, or by the head of the body concerned.
- 20.2. The use of any seal, that is attached unto a document, or a notification, or a declaration, or similar, that bears sufficient resemblance to any official seal, which is used by the creator in a document, or notification, or declaration, or similar, so as to create the impression of officiality, in order to:
- (a) obtain any personal advantages or benefits; or,
- (b) put a person or a body in disadvantage, or discredit a person or a body; or,
- (c) obtain any benefits and advantages for another person,
- shall constitute a serious misdemeanour.
- 20.2.1. Whether any seal, that is used in such a manner, bears "sufficient resemblance", must, in cases of doubt, be decided by the Courts on an individual basis.
- 20.2.2. The use of the Kingdom's colours ("El Bicoloreu") on any seal does not satisfy the requirements of "sufficient resemblance".
- 20.3. Any subsequent unauthorised use of any seal, committed by a formerly punished convict of this act, shall constitute a felony. (56RZ2)
21. The Ziu fulfills its solemn duty to the people by ratifying this provision, to be known as the "Riot Act," and authorising it to be read at any time when a Talossan or Cestoûr is peeved at any other Talossan or Cestoûr. (23RZ45)
B. Elections
1. The Ziu hereby establishes guidelines for the conduct of General Elections, and instructs the office of the Secretary of State to implement them at once. (33RZ15)
2. The Secretary of State shall make available, through a website dedicated to this purpose, the text of the election ballot. (33RZ5)
- 2.1. The ballot shall, for the next general election, contain a space for a yes or no vote on Organic Law amendments passed during this Cosa, as well as contain spaces for provincial and senatorial voting.
- 2.2. The Ballot can also include for each referendum up to one 50-words essay per party with Cosa Members, each marked as being either in favor of the amendment or against the amendment. The argument's signatures are not counted in the 50 words limit. (47RZ19)
- 2.3 The ballot must also include, for each party contesting the election, a 50-word (or less) statement of the general aims and views of the party, and a list of citizens to whom the party intends to award Cosa seats. If a party does not submit a candidate list to the Secretary of State before the election, the party leader is assigned all seats won, and seats which cannot be held by the Party Leader are forfeited. [1]
- 2.3.1. Before the conclusion of the first Clark, each party leader must submit to the Secretary of State a report containing the distribution of the seats won in the election.
- 2.3.1.1. The party leader may assign seats to any eligible citizen(s) they see fit, so long as the following criteria are met:
- 2.3.1.1.1. The party's internal procedures are followed
- 2.3.1.1.2. No one who was not named on the list is assigned more seats than any eligible citizen who was named on the list
- 2.3.1.1.3. The total number of seats awarded to those not on the list does not exceed 1/3 of all seats won by the party
- 2.3.1.1.4. No person occupies more than the maximum legal number of seats. [2]
- 2.3.1.2. Any person assigned a seat as above may decline to take their seats in which case they will be reallocated according to the criteria of B.2.3.1.1.
- 2.3.1.3. If a party cannot assign all of their seats under the criteria of B.2.3.1.1, the additional seats are forfeited.
- 2.4 Any eligible candidates for a seat in the senate will be given the opportunity to register themselves with the Secretary of State before the start of the elections. Registered candidates will be listed as a candidate on the ballot for that province, not limiting voters ability to vote for write-in candidates. [3]
- 2.5 Endorsements of Senatorial candidates by political parties shall not be listed in the part of the ballot relating to senatorial elections. [4]
- 2.6. The ballot shall be in a .pdf or other graphical format. The ballot shall have space on it for the voter to indicate his name and relevant contact information. [5]
- 2.7. Clear voting instructions in both Talossan and English will be included with each ballot. [6]
- 2.8. In order to be counted in the election, the ballots must be received by the Secretary of State on or before election day. [7]
3. Any citizen of Talossa may download, make copies of, and distribute said ballot. Any citizen of Talossa may vote on the ballot and send it in, by mail, to the Office of the Secretary of State. In addition, the Office of the Secretary of State shall make available telephone and e-mail contact information so voters can cast their votes through those media that medium. The Office of the Secretary of State may additionally opt to provide other secure means to vote such as an electronic form on a website or a phone number. Votes posted on Wittenberg shall also be counted. (52RZ10)
4. All votes cast are be presumed to be valid. The validity of any vote may be challenged by any Talossan citizen after it is counted, by presenting the challenge as a case to the Uppermost Cort, with all available evidence. Should the Cort choose to hear the case, and subsequently find that a ballot has been cast or counted illegally, the final vote tally shall be adjusted to disregard the invalid vote. Special attention shall be paid to non-citizens who might attempt to forge ballots in order to interfere with or embarrass Talossa's democratic electoral process.
5. Votes that are cast during the General Elections and are specified as votes for the cosa election shall not be counted as votes for provincial elections, unless the provincial legislation of the province for which these provincial elections are conducted specifically instructs otherwise, as determined by the Chancery. (45RZ5)
6. At each general or special nation-wide election, the Chancery shall provide to each voter a personal security code (PSC). The PSC shall be a number or password which can serve to authenticate the voter's ballot. (36RZ9)
- 6.1. The Chancery shall take care that the PSCs are assigned in an unpredictably random fashion, and that the list of assigned PSCs is kept secure.
- 6.2. The Chancery may email a PSC to any voter who has a known email address, and shall mail a PSC to each voter who has no known email address (but whose physical address is known) together with that voter's ballot papers.
- 6.3. Every ballot or vote cast on Wittenberg, and every ballot or vote cast otherwise that contains the voter's correct PSC, shall be counted. But if a ballot or vote not cast on Wittenberg does not contain the voter's correct PSC, the Chancery shall attempt by whatever means the Secretary of State deems necessary and sufficient to determine whether the vote is valid, and shall not count the vote unless its validity can be so established. The Chancery shall report to the Uppermost Cort, before the final results of the election shall be certified, regarding each such vote, the means used to determine its validity, and the conclusion reached.
7. Each party has the responsibility of communicating to the Secretary of State a list of its authorized agents and the name of its leader, and of updating the same. (43RZ16)
- 7.1. In any case where the authorized agents of a party or its leadership are a matter of dispute in a manner affecting party registration or the filling of empty seats in the Cosa, the Secretary of State shall make a good-faith effort to determine which disputant has the best right to name such, taking into consideration the internal rules of the party. Each other disputant shall have the opportunity to register under a party name that differentiates it from the other disputants.
- 7.2. In any case where the authorized agents of a party or its leadership are a matter of dispute in a manner affecting party registration or the filling of empty seats in the Cosa, and the Secretary of State is unable to determine that any of the disputing claimants to a party has a best right to name such, each disputant shall have the opportunity to register under a party name that differentiates it from the other disputants. In such a case as to leadership, the original party shall be considered to not have a functional leader [sic] (53RZ22)
8. The name or abbreviation of a political party applying for registration must not resemble the name or abbreviation of another party. There is a resemblance between party names or abbreviations when, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, there is a risk of confusing them. If the party intends to adopt Talossan and English versions of its name, both versions must be submitted with the application. (32RZ3)
- 8.1. If, during an election to the Cosâ, an elector makes a mistake when writing or typing the name or abbreviation of the party he intends to vote for, and in the opinion of the Secretary of State the intention of the voter was clear, the Secretary of State may appropriately correct the vote. Any electors may contest this in Cort.
- 8.2. Two or more registered parties may apply to the Secretary of State to merge their parties and become a single registered party. If during an election to the Cosâ, an elector vote for a party that has reported a merge to the Secretary of State prior to the election, the Secretary of State may credit the vote to the new party. Any electors may contest this in Cort.
- 8.3. If during an election to the Cosâ, an elector vote for a party that is not registered, and that this vote cannot be attributed to another party, this vote shall be considered “spoiled ballot”. Any electors may contest this in Cort.
9. The Secretary of State, or his appointed agent, shall charge a registration fee of 6¤40 (six louise and forty bence, equivalent to $10 USD) to each political party, and a registration fee of 3¤20 (three louise and twenty bence, equivalent to $5 USD) to each successful candidate in a Senäts election. in forthcoming elections. Any Party or Parties which fail or refuse to pay the fee shall be deemed not registered, and no successful candidate in a Senäts election shall be declared elected until they pay the fee. (55RZ4) (53RZ22) (48PD02) (42RZ14)
- 9.1. The fee may only be paid by:
- 9.1.1. Sending a Money Order, Cash or Cheque by snail mail to the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue: Only fees which have been received in full, by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue will be deemed paid. Fees that are in transit, delayed, lost in the mail or not received by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue for any reason, shall not count as paid fees, even if accompanied with proof of postage. Payments made by Money Order or Cheque shall not be deemed as paid until they have been cleared, the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue, will notify the nation when such fees have cleared or if said payments have bounced. If a party’s or successful candidate's cheque or money order bounces, they shall be liable to pay costs incurred by the Kingdom for their payment bouncing and shall not be registered until their fee plus these costs have been paid. (55RZ4)
- 9.1.2. PayPal: Fees may be paid by electronically transferring the appropriate funds into the Kingdom of Talossa’s PayPal account managed by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue. The Burgermeister of Inland Revenue is to notify all Political Parties in advance of the Election of details regarding the PayPal account into which they may deposit their fee. Once a fee has been received by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue from a party or successful candidate, he shall notify the Nation publicly that said fee has been received and arrange for said fee to be deposited in the Kingdom’s Account. (55RZ4)
- 9.1.3. Payment directly to the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue: Payment may be made directly in person to the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue, by cash, cheque or money order. The Burgermeister of Inland Revenue shall notify the nation which such payments have been received. The policy of Cheque and Money orders in 9.2.1. applies equally in this instance.
- 9.2. Once a fee has been received by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue and/or their appointed agents, it is not refundable for any reason. If, however, a party or successful candidate overpays or pays more than once for any given election period, excess fees may be credited to the party or successful candidate against their next payment of fees or refunded, at the discretion of the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue, minus any fees or costs incurred. (55RZ4)
- 9.3. A Senator who was not elected, but appointed under the provisions of Organic Law III.7, will not be liable for any fee. (55RZ4)
10. Notwithstanding the purely traditional practice of "keeping the polls open" till midnight of the last day of an election (or of a month, for Clark purposes), the Secretary of State is hereby instructed to keep a sort-of conventional "business day" where the deadline for any official business (ballots, Clarks, etc.) is set at 7:30 p.m. of the day in question. (16RC3)
11. All campaign literature issued by any individual or party must contain on said literature the name(s) of the writer(s) of said literature, in such form as to be legible and comprehensible to the average reader of said literature. This does not apply to the 50-word statement given to the Secretary of State. (18RC6)
12. In accordance with Article V, Section 6 of the Organic Law, the fixed order for the election of Senators to the Senate shall be described as follows: (53RZ22) (46RZ19)
- 12.1. Upon the dissolution of a Cosa, election to three Senate seats shall be held, in addition to those by-elections necessary to elect Senators to unfilled terms being held on an interim basis by an appointed Senator.
- 12.2. Senatorial seats shall be elected at each Cosa according to the following rotation: Vuode, Atatürk, Cézembre, Florencia, Maricopa, Fiova, Maritiimi-Maxhestic, and Benito.
13. The Electoral Commission and the Secretary of State shall fulfill the duty of certifying results of elections conducted by the Chancery according to the following guidelines. (50RZ16)
- 13.1. The election period as defined by this section shall begin on Balloting Day, and shall end on the Certification Deadline.
- 13.2. The Electoral Commission shall be comprised of one Uppermost Cort justice to be appointed by the Cort, one Senator whose term will not expire at the conclusion of the Cosa term to be appointed by the Mençei, and one member to be appointed by the King upon recommendation of the Seneschal, pursuant to the following subsections. The Secretary of State shall be a permanent ex officio member of the Commission, and shall not be entitled to a vote nor affect quorum.
- 13.2.1. The Secretary of State shall communicate to the Cort, the Mençei, the Seneschal, and the King of their responsibilities of recommending or appointing members no later than two months prior to Balloting Day.
- 13.2.2. No person shall be eligible to serve on the Commission who is an officer of any registered or unregistered political party, or who plans to or is a candidate for election to the Senäts in the upcoming election.
- 13.2.3. The appointments shall be communicated to the Secretary of State, who shall confirm with the appointees their willingness and availability to serve on the Commission.
- 13.2.4. All members of the Commission shall be appointed at least one month prior to Balloting Day. If the Cort, the Mençei, or the King shall fail to submit their appointment(s) by the deadline, the Secretary of State shall be empowered to appoint the member or members.
- 13.2.5. Should a vacancy arise on the Commission prior to or during the election period due to death, disability, resignation, or disqualification, such vacancies shall be filled by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall endeavor to select and appoint any member recommended by the individual or body which appointed the departing member, but at no time shall delay an appointment for this purpose for more than 24 hours.
- 13.3. The Secretary of State shall be authorized to prepare rules for the upcoming election governing the procedure by which s/he will comply with the relevant election laws, and submit such rules to the Commission at least one month prior to Balloting Day for review and certification. The Secretary of State shall also make such rules publicly available, and until such a time as the rules are certified, conspicuously note that the rules are subject to certification by the Commission.
- 13.3.1. Should the Secretary of State fail to submit rules to the Commission, the rules governing the previous election shall be reviewed and certified.
- 13.3.2. The Commission shall review the proposed rules for compliance and amend them as necessary prior to certification.
- 13.3.3. The Commission shall certify rules for the election no later than two weeks prior to Balloting Day. Should the Commission fail to certify any rules by this deadline, then the rules shall govern the election absent the certification, except where such rules are in conflict with election law.
- 13.4. The Secretary of State shall accept votes submitted publicly or privately pursuant to the rules governing the election. Votes submitted privately shall only be available to the Electoral Commission.
- 13.5. Immediately following the Election Deadline, the Secretary of State shall post unofficial elections results on Wittenberg and notify the members of the Commission that the unofficial results have been posted.
- 13.6. The Commission shall review and certify the unofficial results within 14 days following the Election Deadline, pursuant to the following subsections.
- 13.6.1. The Commission, sua sponte or upon notification by a third party, shall review any ballots or results in which a potential irregularity has been spotted. The Ministry of Justice shall, in consultation with the Secretary of State, make available to the public forms which such notification can be made to the Commission.
- 13.6.2. Notwithstanding the above, the Secretary of State shall be empowered to correct any irregularity in the tabulation of results found prior to the Commission taking jurisdiction over the matter.
- 13.6.3. If the Commission, upon a majority vote, confirms the existence of an irregularity which affects the outcome of an election item, it shall correct the problem prior to certification as provided in the following subsections.
- 13.6.3.1. If the Commission finds that a vote (or votes) has (or have) not been properly counted, it shall direct the Secretary of State to correct the results as necessary.
- 13.6.3.2. If the Commission finds that a vote was cast by an ineligible voter, it shall direct the Secretary of State to invalidate such a vote and correct the results as necessary, and notify the Ministry of Justice of any potential civil or criminal violation.
- 13.6.3.3. If the Commission should find multiple irregularities which significantly alter the results of an election, it may recommend to the King that the incoming Cosa be dissolved and a new election be called. In such a case, the Commission shall continue to serve as constituted.
- 13.6.4. If the Commission should find any other irregularity not otherwise specified, it may take any action appropriate within its power proportionate to the circumstances.
- 13.6.5. Should the Commission fail to certify the unofficial results prior to the Certification Deadline, the results are considered to be official, unless the Commission should lodge a petition with the Uppermost Cort seeking additional time to review a potential irregularity. Such petitions shall be submitted to the Uppermost Cort on forms prescribed by the Ministry of Justice following a 2/3rds vote of the Commission.
- 13.6.6. The Uppermost Cort shall immediately review any petition laid before it by the Commission, shall grant such petition upon finding there is sufficient evidence to warrant the request, and shall limit the delay in certification only to such races or ballot items which the outcome would be affected if the potential irregularity were found to be true. If the petition is not granted within 21 days following the Election Deadline, the results shall be considered certified and the petition denied as moot.
- 13.7. Following certification of all election results, the Commission shall be dissolved, unless otherwise provided for in this section.
- 13.8. For elections called early due to failure of a Vote of Confidence, the provisions outlined in the following subsections shall apply.
- 13.8.1. The Cort, the Mençei, the Seneschal, and the King shall all be immediately notified by the Secretary of State of their responsibility of recommending or appointing members to the Commission. Members shall be appointed at least five days prior to Balloting Day. If the Cort, the Mençei, or the King shall fail to submit their appointment(s) by the deadline, the Secretary of State shall be empowered to appoint the member or members.
- 13.8.2. The rules governing the previous election shall govern the election, except where such rules conflict with election law.
- 13.9. The procedures set forth within this section shall not apply to referenda elections called by a Seneschal pursuant to Article VII, Section 13, unless otherwise directed by the Ziu prior to an election being called. (53RZ22 and previous legislation)
- 13.10. The Secretary of State shall keep all records of any discussions and votes taken by the Commission for a period of two years.
- 13.10. For the purposes of serving a complaint, summons, or subpoena against the Electoral Commission as a body, the Secretary of State shall be considered the agent responsible for accepting service.
14. In accordance with Org.IV.6, Ranked Choice Voting shall be conducted in the following manner: (50RZ3)
- 14.1. Voters shall rank the candidates for Senator for their province in order of preference. Voters may rank as many or as few candidates as they please.
- 14.2. If a voter submits a ranked list of preferences in which a candidate is listed multiple times, only the highest preference for that candidate is valid and the lower preferences for that candidate are invalid. [52RZ11]
- 14.3. A preference for someone who is not eligible for the contested senate seat because they are either not a citizen of the province represented by the contested senate seat or not eligible to vote is considered invalid. [52RZ11]
- 14.4. If a voter submits a ranked list of preference which includes both valid preferences for candidates and invalid preferences, such as described by Lex.B.14.2. or Lex.B.14.3., then the invalid preferences are ignored but the vote itself will still be valid and the preference for candidates will be considered in the order of the valid preferences. [52RZ11]
- 14.5. At the conclusion of the election, each candidate is assigned all ballots which express him as first preference. The candidate with the fewest ballots assigned to him is eliminated. Each ballot cast for the eliminated candidate is reassigned to the next expressed preference on the ballot.
- 14.6. Once the ballots are reassigned, the candidate with the fewest ballots assigned to him is eliminated and the ballots cast for him reassigned according to B.14.5. This process is repeated until one candidate wins by having a majority of non-abstention ballots assigned to him.
- 14.7. If, after any iteration, there are two or more candidates with the fewest ballots assigned to them, the candidate with the fewest first preferences assigned to him shall be eliminated. If these candidates all have the same number of first preferences assigned to them, the candidate with the fewest second preferences assigned to him shall be eliminated, and so forth.
- 14.7.1. If no such distinction can be made between these candidates because all have the same number of votes on every level of preference, the remaining iterations shall be conducted under multiple scenarios. Each scenario shall eliminate one of the tied candidates. (50RZ30)
- 14.7.1.1 If the different scenarios described by B.14.7.1 result in the same winner of the election overall, the winning candidate shall become the Senator.
- 14.7.1.2 If the different scenarios described by B.14.7.1 result in different winners of the election overall, the result will be considered a tie between the winners of the different scenarios and will be resolved in accordance with Org.IV.6.
- 14.8. If any ballot assigned to an eliminated candidate does not express a next preference, the ballot is treated in the same way as an abstention.
- 14.9. A candidate may not be assigned ballots after he has been eliminated. A ballot that would otherwise be reassigned to an eliminated candidate is instead assigned to the highest-ranked candidate that has not been eliminated, or treated as an abstention according to B.14.8.
15.1 In the event of a single seat being divided among two or more parties mathematically, the party with the highest number of total votes will be used, and in case of a tie, percentile dice will be used to determine a single owner for the divided seat, with chances proportional to the percentage of the vote received.[8]
C. The Royal Civil Service
1. The following offices are henceforth to be styled the Offices of the Royal Civil Service. The head of each such office shall be considered an Officer of the Royal Civil Service, and the duties and functions of the offices shall be those described below (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.1. The various Offices of the Cabinet Ministries, headed by Permanent Secretaries. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.1.1. A Minister of the Cabinet may recommend to the King the creation of an Office within their Ministry and the appointment of a Permanent Secretary to that office based upon their qualifications, willingness to work and taking into consideration the applicant’s performance in prior positions. All Permanent Secretary positions shall exist within the Royal Civil Service and shall be non-political appointments which shall be held until lawful dismissal, resignation or incapacitation. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.1.2. Secretaries shall serve as the administrative chief of their respective Offices tasked with the day to day operation of the Office’s work, and/or for any other special role assigned to them when their position is created. Secretaries shall implement Government policy within the bounds of Organic and statutory law, in the manner in which they deem appropriate. The functions of all Offices and the job descriptions of their Permanent Secretaries shall be made publicly available by the relevant Ministry. 52RZ4 53RZ2 Job descriptions shall be set by the Minister at the time of the appointment of a new Permanent Secretary, and during the time in office of that particular Secretary, may only be changed with the consent of that Secretary. 53RZ25
- 1.1.3. An individual may not hold the offices of Seneschal, Distáin, Justice of the Uppermost Cort, Monarch, or any cabinet portfolio while simultaneously holding an active appointment to a secretary office. In addition, any Secretaries within the Ministry of Justice may not serve as a judge in any inferior court. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.1.4. Secretaries shall be styled “Honourable” during their tenure. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2. The Chancery, headed by the Secretary of State. The functions of the Chancery are to prepare and submit the Clark, determine and report the passage or failure of each resolution considered by the Ziu, conduct, certify, and report upon all national elections, maintain the census and citizenship list, assist the citizenry in determining Talossan language personal names and registering the same, register political parties, communicate census information to political party leaders, and track and maintain legislative seating assignments. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2.1. One member of the Chancery shall be the Royal Data Clerk, heading the Office of Dynamic Data Management. The function of the Office of Dynamic Data Management is to manage all computer records owned by the Kingdom of Talossa for its official functions and delegated to its care in order to help other Royal Households, Ministries or any other organization of the Kingdom which needs data management. The Royal Data Clerk may be the same person as the Secretary of State. The Royal Data Clerk shall be considered an Officer of the Royal Household. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2.1.1. Once the first Royal Data Clerk accepts his position, and once two members of the Cort pü Inalt have confirmed that they are in receipt of full and accessible backups of the database system currently hosted on talossa.ca, this database shall be considered to be the property of the Office of Dynamic Data Management and thus, the property of the Kingdom of Talossa. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2.2. The Bureau of the Census within the Chancery shall conduct a census of all citizens of Talossa, collecting demographic information and updating the Chancery's contact details for the citizenry. A census shall be performed every two calendar years, or more frequently if the Seneschal so requests. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2.2.1. The only required questions for any respondent on the Talossan Census shall be (a) current Talossan and non-Talossan names, and (b) citizen contact details (preferably email). The Chancery will provide an option for respondents to share their email address with party leaders, pursuant to Lex.D.8.5.4. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2.2.2. Other questions on the Talossan Census shall be identical to the questions on the last census. These questions may be changed by the Chancery, either of its own volition or on request from the Seneschal, but any changes shall be approved by the Ziu, without needing to go through committee. These questions will be marked as optional, and at no time shall a citizen be forced or required to respond to an optional question. (52RZ4) (53RZ2) (56RZ4)
- 1.2.2.3. Any information collected during the census that would individually identify any person or persons, including their contact information, shall be withheld from the public for to protect individual privacy, consistent with Lex.D.8. The only exception is that citizens may opt to have their e-mail address shared with party leaders, pursuant to Lex.D.8.5.4. Census information shall not be released under any "freedom of information" or "government transparency" requests, notwithstanding any other provisions of el Lexhatx. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2.2.4. Demographic information and other information that does not identify the respondents shall be made available within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of any census. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2.3. Members of the Chancery are to be considered as if they were Deputy Secretary of State, without the ability to replace the Secretary should he become unavailable. Members may act in the name of the Secretary of State and perform official business as delegated to them by the Secretary. Once the requirements of M.2.1 above have been fulfilled, at least three members of the Chancery at any time shall have all the access required to carry out the Chancery's functions under this section. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.2.2.5 The Seneschál may request on behalf of the Government that a given communication shall be sent out by the Chancery to the email address of every citizen who has not "opted out" as provided in section 1.2.2.5.4 below. The Chancery shall grant this request if, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, the following provisions are met: [53RZ20]
- 1.2.2.5.1 Such communication shall pertain wholly to official Government business. [53RZ20]
- 1.2.2.5.2 Such communication may not include publicity for, or any other business pertaining to, any political party or candidate for election. [53RZ20]
- 1.2.2.5.3 Such communications are not sufficiently frequent or repetitive enough to qualify as "spam". [53RZ20]
- 1.2.2.5.4 Citizens may "opt out" of receiving such communications by making a request to the Chancery. [53RZ20]
- 1.2.2.5 The Seneschál may request on behalf of the Government that a given communication shall be sent out by the Chancery to the email address of every citizen who has not "opted out" as provided in section 1.2.2.5.4 below. The Chancery shall grant this request if, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, the following provisions are met: [53RZ20]
- 1.2.1. One member of the Chancery shall be the Royal Data Clerk, heading the Office of Dynamic Data Management. The function of the Office of Dynamic Data Management is to manage all computer records owned by the Kingdom of Talossa for its official functions and delegated to its care in order to help other Royal Households, Ministries or any other organization of the Kingdom which needs data management. The Royal Data Clerk may be the same person as the Secretary of State. The Royal Data Clerk shall be considered an Officer of the Royal Household. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.3. The Scribery of Abbavilla, headed by the Scribe of Abbavilla. The functions of the Scribery are to maintain and publish the Organic and statutory laws of the Kingdom. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.3.1. The Scribe of Abbavilla shall maintain all laws in L'Anuntzia dels Legeux, insofar as possible, with the same content that was approved by the Ziu, except that amending acts that refer to section numbers in pre-existing statutes that were changed by the Scribery shall be construed as referring to the equivalent section numbers in the amended statutes as originally enacted. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.3.2. The Scribe of Abbavilla shall maintain el Lexhatx in accordance with the directions in Title Z. The Scribe shall thus advise all proposers of bills to the Clark on proper formatting of their bills to conform with Title Z. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.3.3. If the Scribe, or their deputy(s), finds an error in the formatting, grammar, or spelling of a bill which is currently in the Clark, or is alerted of same, they shall work with the sponsor of the bill to fix said error(s). (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.3.4. The Scribe, or their deputy(s), shall publicize any proposed changes to a bill, with the approval of the author. The changes are deemed to have been implemented after they have been public for seven days, unless the changes are disallowed by the conditions of C.1.2.5. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.3.5. If, before the proposed changes are implemented, a petition of MCs representing at least 1/3 of the seats in the Cosa, or a petition of at least 1/3 of the Senators, goes before the Scribe in protest of the proposed changes to a bill, the changes cannot be implemented. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.4. The Royal Archives, headed by the Royal Archivist. The function of the Archives is to preserve and make available the historical artifacts and information of the Kingdom in museums and other venues. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.4.1. The Royal Archiver be always known throughout the Kingdom of Talossa as Royal Archivist. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.4.2. No Public Record or Archive under the control of a Governmental body and/or the Royal Civil Service Body shall be destroyed, erased or otherwise disposed of without the written authorisation of the Royal Archivist. This Authorisation or Refusal must be announced on Wittenberg within three days of such Authorisation or Refusal is made. Authorisation or Refusal by the Royal Archivist for the destruction of an Archive may be overturned by a resolution passed by the Ziu. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.4.3. An Archive/record that has been granted authorisation for disposal may not be disposed until after thirty days after such an authorisation is granted. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.4.4. Any person who damages or causes to be damaged any Public Archive or Record in the control of a Governmental or Royal Civil Service body; or damages or causes to be damaged any Public Archive in the control of a Private body, Community and/or Individual; or removes, destroys or erases such Public record or archive otherwise than in accordance with this provision or any other law, shall be guilty of a serious misdemeanour if such damage, removal, destruction, or erasure was wilful, or guilty of a misdemeanour if such damage, removal, destruction, or erasure was reckless.. (52RZ4) (53RZ2) (56RZ2)
- 1.4.5. The Royal Archivist may refuse to allow any person convicted of an offence in terms of these provisions, access to an archives repository for such period as he or she may deem fit, subject to an appeal to the Uppermost Cort. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.4.6. For the purpose of this provision a Public Record and Archive is hereby defined as: "Public Archive" or "Public Record" means a record/archive created or received by a governmental or Royal Civil Service body in pursuance of its activities." (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.4.7. At the end of each Clark, the Archivist shall post the link provided by the Secretary of State to the Chancery website. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.5. The Royal Treasury, headed by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue. The function of the treasury is to: (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.5.1. collect all revenues due to the King, (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.5.2. maintain and report to the Finance Minister and the Government on the fiduciary health of the Kingdom, at least once in every two calendar months and whenever else requested (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.5.3. disburse from the treasury all funds legitimately appropriated by the Ziu, (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.5.4. keep a record of all changes in the account balances of the Royal Treasury. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.5.5. audit the reported financial condition of His Majesty's investments at any time.
- 1.5.6. provide, upon request of the Minister of Finance and any other time stated in law, a Financial Report containing the following information:[9]
- 1.5.6.1. the amount, location, liquidity, and availability of all funds held by or for the Royal Treasury,[10]
- 1.5.6.2. a detailed list of all changes in the account balances of the Royal Treasury since the last Report,[11]
- 1.5.6.3. a balance sheet which clearly lists all expenses linking them to the relative sheet items in the budget bills approved in the Cosa,[12]
- 1.5.6.4. the total amount of louise and postal items in circulation;[13]
- 1.5.7. All accounts and other monies held by the Royal Treasury shall be held in the name of both the King and the Burgermeister, in such a way that the King shall be able to perform the functions of the Burgermeister in case of the Burgermeister's absence, on his own initiative or upon request of the Minister of Finance.[14]
- 1.6. The Royal Society for the Advancement of Knowledge, headed by the President of the Royal Society. The function of the Royal Society is to conduct and promote research and academic study in all areas of human endeavour. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.6.1. Schools may be created within the Society for the purpose of focusing on a specific subject. The exact procedure for establishing a school shall be chosen by the President, who shall also appoint a dean to supervise each school. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 1.7. Here so by the Ziu be enacted, as follows, in verses protracted: that we do create a new office of state to accomplish the purpose abstracted. El Metrefieir Laureat shall the office be named, come to that, and we won't be sorry that this Poet Laureate will our Royal Civil Service work at appointed as law may discern for an indefinite term of true dedication to versification on topics of public concern. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
2. With the exception of the Secretary of State and the Permanent Secretaries, every Office of the Royal Civil Service shall be assigned to a responsible Minister of the Government as named below, to report and consult concerning the conduct of their office as and when requested, necessary or useful. Officers are not subject to the direction of their responsible Minister except as required by Organic and statutory law. The Scribe of Abbavilla shall be responsible to the Attorney-General, the Royal Archivist to the Minister of Immigration, the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue to the Minister of Finance, and the President of the Royal Society and the Poet Laureate to the Minister of Culture. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
- 2.1. The Secretary of State shall report to and consult with the Ziu, as represented by the Túischac’h and the Mençéi, concerning the operation of the Chancery as and when necessary, requested or useful. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
3. The Officers of the Royal Civil Service shall have no fixed terms of office and shall not be removed from office by the dissolution of the Cosa. (53RZ2)
- 3.1 The Secretary of State is appointed by the King on the recommendation of the Seneschál, and removed by the King on the recommendation of any two of the Seneschál, the Túischac’h or the Mençei for professional misconduct, inability to perform their duties due to incapacitation or failure to perform their required duties.[15]
- 3.2 The other Officers of the Royal Civil Service are appointed by the King on the recommendation of the responsible Minister, and removed by the King on the recommendation of the responsible minister for professional misconduct, inability to perform their duties due to incapacitation or failure to perform their required duties. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
4. Any dismissed Officers shall be entitled to judicial review of their removal, by bringing complaint before a trial court. The court shall consider if any of the petitioner's rights, afforded by law, have been violated. The court shall have the authority to order reinstatement where appropriate or dismiss the complaint, thus sustaining the dismissal. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
5. The Secretary of State shall hold no seat in the Ziu. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
6. Each Officer of the Royal Civil Service is empowered to appoint one or more deputies who may act in the place of that officer in all cases. The King and nation shall be informed of all such appointments. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
7. Each Officer of the Royal Civil Service is empowered to appoint and dismiss any citizen of Talossa to non-political offices within their branch of the Royal Civil Service – including the heads of those subordinate agencies within their Office described by law, and empowered to organize or reorganize his office in any manner he deems shall best effect its services to the King, and within the limits set by law. empower any subservient official to make similar appointments and dismissals within any specific agency of the Office of the Royal Civil Service. (52RZ4) (53RZ2)
D. The Government
1. The Cabinet shall see to the execution of the functions of His Majesty's government, and shall advise the Seneschal as requested, on a scheduled or ad hoc basis. (36RZ17)
- 1.1. The Ziu requests that the Prime Minister only appoint Ministers that will actually do something, and not just make petty titles. The Ziu is committed to the responsible Government of the Kingdom. If a Minister has held this title for many years, the Ziu asks that the Prime Minister instead ask the King to honour the Minister with a Royal Award instead of a Ministry. (25RZ18)
- 1.2. The Ziu ALSO requests that the Prime Minister not appoint Deputies except where absolutely needed.
- 1.3. If the Prime Minister does not appoint a Minister that would have to do a certain task, he or she may do it his or herself, in other words, all Ministries left vacant could be functionally held by the Prime Minister.
- 1.4. The Ziu requests that if the Prime Minister doesn't have to appoint a minister, he won't.
- 1.5. The Seneschal shall maintain a public list of all of the positions described in Titles C and D of el Lexhatx along with any subordinate positions that might be created. The list shall include the incumbent of any filled position as well as indicate vacant positions. When the list is updated, the old version shall be publicly archived along with the dates for which it was effective. (52RZ12)
2. The Cabinet shall consist of the officers listed below:
- 2.1. The Seneschal, heading the Prüma Ministrà (Prime Ministry), is responsible for the overall operation and performance of the government, and shall perform all duties assigned to his office by Organic Law. All other Cabinet officers are appointed by the Seneschal (Prime Minister), serve at his pleasure, are responsible to him, and derive their powers from him. Accordingly, anything that any Minister can do (officially), the Seneschal may (if he desires) do himself.
- 2.1.1. The Ziu strongly urges the current and future Prime Ministers of Talossa to use the power of the Prime Dictate with caution and respect, limiting its usage to memorials, congratulatory notices, internal Government organization, executive policy clarification, and other appropriate and limited governmental matters, and leave legislation solely for democratic consideration by the whole Ziu. (55RZ10) (24RZ48)
- 2.2. The Distain, who shall serve in the Prime Ministry as deputy to the Seneschal, and shall perform such duties as are delegated to him by the Seneschal. All acts thus delegated and performed shall have the same effect as if performed by the Seneschal himself.
- 2.3 The Immigration Minister, who shall oversee the immigrant and new citizen experience. This includes the following responsibilities:
- 2.3.1 Administering the immigration process in cooperation with the Chancery as described by law
- 2.3.2 Working with the Ministry of STUFF to increase immigration
- 2.3.3 Integrating new citizens into their new Talossan lives and working to find ways to most effectively involve new citizens in Talossan affairs. (56RZ12)
- 2.4. The Minister of Defence, leading the Ministry of Defence, which shall marshal and provide the Invincible Moral Support of the nation to the good and right side of any international conflict, as determined by the government, conveying to the combatants our proud "we would stand with you, but it's safer to stand behind you" stance. The Defence Minister shall command the armed forces of the Kingdom during peacetime and during times of declared war, subservient in these duties only to the King in his majesty's organic role as Leader of the Armed Forces. During the latter periods, the Defence Minister is to be referred to as "War Minister." As detailed in Title I, the Bureau of Defence shall include: (53RZ28)
- 2.5. The Attorney-General, heading the Ministry of Justice, who shall provide legal advice and assistance to the government as requested. The Attorney-General and subordinate officers of the Ministrà dal Xhusticiâ (Ministry of Justice) shall prosecute actions brought by the government in the Kingdom's courts, and defend the government against actions brought against it in said courts.
- 2.5.1. The Ministry of Justice is solemnly charged with monitoring the justice system. This duty shall include, but not be limited to, the following tasks:
- 2.5.1.1. The Ministry of Justice shall make freely and publicly available to citizens a procedure by which they may securely and easily report the wrongful actions or failure to act of a judge or other officers of the courts.
- 2.5.1.2. The Ministry of Justice shall keep records of these reports, and investigate those that seem credible in the Ministry's best judgement. The Ministry shall report the results of its investigations and its recommendations to the Ziu, as it sees fit to do so.
- 2.5.1.3. The Ministry of Justice must respond to every complainant with the result of any investigations, notification of any action, or an explanation of inaction. Should the Ministry refuse to carry out an investigation, it must supply the complainant with a written justification of its decision.
- 2.5.1.4. The Ministry of Justice need not wait for a complaint in order to carry out such an investigation, but may initiate this scrutiny on its own, where it seems necessary.
- 2.5.1.5. The Ministry of Justice shall vigilantly supervise its officers and appointees to ensure that they do not engage in ex parte communication, in keeping with the provisions of Lex.G.12. (52RZ15)
- 2.5.1.6. The Ministry of Justice shall vigilantly supervise its officers and appointees to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest between them and their work, either in fact or in appearance. In such an instance as a conflict of interest exists and no alternative officer of the Ministry is capable of making the decision in the stead of the conflicted officer, then an independent counsel, appointed by the Avocat-Xheneral, shall be responsible for making such decisions or engaging in such actions as present a conflict. (52RZ15)
- 2.6. The Foreign Minister, heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who shall provide diplomatic relations between the Kingdom and the other nations of the world. The Ministrà dels Afáes Útphätseschti (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) shall establish and maintain all embassies, consulates, and other missions to foreign states, and shall provide each with properly accredited diplomatic or consular staff (including ambassadors, consuls, attachés, spies, and other officers) and administrative and technical staff.
- 2.6.1. Full diplomatic relations shall be said to exist between Talossa and the United States. (6RC24)
- 2.6.2. War against any nation, micronation or organisation can only be declared by the Ziu.
- 2.6.3. The government will not lend any Political, Diplomatic, Military or Economic support to a foreign war without the consent of the Ziu.
- 2.6.4. Any Treaty or agreements with any nation, micronation or organisation, that a) has the force of law in Talossa; b) relates to the official recognition of a foreign nation; or c) relates to forming or joining any sort of alliance with another nation or micronation, will only be valid upon ratification by the Ziu.
- 2.6.5 [16]
- 2.6.6 The Bureau for Humanitarian Aid and International Development (The Bureau) shall serve as the hub for the Kingdom of Talossa's support for disaster and poverty relief and other forms of humanitarian assistance, emergency response and the promotion of efforts towards socioeconomic development. (52RZ13)
- 2.6.6.1 The Bureau shall operate under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Bureau shall be administered by an Administrator to be appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. (52RZ13)
- 2.6.6.2 The Bureau shall be funded by contributions from individuals, nonprofit organizations and where deemed appropriate by the Ziu, legislative appropriations. (52RZ13)
- 2.6.6.3 The Administrator shall make every effort to ensure that Bureau's funds are donated to humanitarian organizations in a timely manner, and shall notify the public when outgoing donations are made. This notice shall include at least the amount, date, and beneficiary of the outgoing donation(s). (52RZ13)
- 2.6.6.3.1 Other provisions of el Lexhatx notwithstanding, outgoing donations made with money contributed by private parties shall not require the approval of the Ziu. (52RZ13)
- 2.7. The Minister of Culture, heading the Ministry of Culture, who shall promote Talossan culture, including our national language, our musical and sporting heritage, our mythical Berber connections, and all of our other quirks. The Ministrà dal Cúlturâ (Ministry of Culture) shall include: (50RZ9)
- 2.7.1. The Bureau of Home Affairs, which shall assist in the organisation of Living Cosâs; provide governmental assistance to the organisers of TalossaFest celebrations; provide governmental assistance to all citizens making the Haxh; provide counsel to the Seneschal and other ministers in ever maintaining the connection and bond of Talossans worldwide to their homeland; and shall, generally, be responsible for the order and well-being of the homeland and its environs. (55RZ11) (56RZ12)
- 2.7.2. The Büreu del Glheþ Talossán (Language Bureau), administered by the Ladintsch Naziunál. This Bureau shall specifically promote the use of the Talossan language, shall work in concert with all extra-governmental societies and groups to do the same, and shall advise the Department of the Census in the Chancery regarding the creation of Talossan names for citizens who request them. Within the Büreu there shall be a division known as the Talossan Translation Service whose task shall be to translate official or historical documents into el Glheþ Talossan.
- 2.8. The Finance Minister, heading the Ministry of Finance.
- 2.8.1 The Ministrà dal Finançù (Ministry of Finance) is responsible for setting and implementing the economic policies of the Kingdom, for drawing up the national Budget, and directing the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue as to the investment of that portion of the Royal Treasury set aside by said Budget.[17]
- 2.8.2. The Finance Minister also serves as the Chairman of the Banqeu es Post Rexhital (Royal Bank & Post) unless he gets too lazy and appoints a Chairman. The Royal Bank and Post is responsible for issuing and regulating the currency and postal paraphernalia of the Kingdom.
- 2.8.2.1. Base Unit of Account. The base unit of account for the Kingdom of Talossa is hereby established and styled the "BENT." The plural of the bent is "BENCE." Convenient shortenings such as "tubbence" and "thrubbence" shall be understood and recognised by the government, and may appear on collectable tokens (colloquially "coinage", though they shall not constitute current money). This unit of account is fixed to $0.025 in the currency of the United States of America. (36RZ2) (46RZ20)
- 2.8.2.2. Second Unit of Account. A second unit of account, which shall have the fixed denomination of sixty (60) bence, is hereby established and styled the "LOUIS," which shall also be officially recognised by the shortened name "LOU." The plural of the lou is "LOUISE." Convenient colloqualisms for the denominations of louise are encouraged, specifically "Brock" for a single lou, "Costello" for five louise, "Ferrigno" for ten louise, "Rawls" for twenty louise, and so forth.
- 2.8.2.2.1. The commonly-used symbols ℓ and ¤ shall be officially adopted for the louis and bent, respectively, and these symbols shall be used in accordance with common practice: ¤ to be used as a separator of the two denominations, with louise on the left of the symbol and bence on the right; ℓ may also be used to indicate amounts in whole louise, by placing the symbol to the left of the amount.
- 2.8.2.3. Creation and Issuance of Collectable Tokens. The Royal Bank & Post is exclusively authorised to design, cause to be created, issue, and distribute collectable tokens (colloquially "coinage", though they shall not constitute current money) in any denomination of whole bence. The Royal Bank & Post is authorised to imprint the denomination of any coinage with its price in louise, rather than in bence, as it sees fit.
- 2.8.2.3.1 Current Token Design. The first issue of Talossan collectable tokens ("coins") shall have, on the obverse, the Chinese character "ben" upon a shield, with a crown above the shield; above the crown shall be the curved inscription "REGIPÄTS TALOSSÁN", and below the shield shall be the curved inscription of the year of issue (both the Common Era in Arabic numerals and the year of the Kingdom of Talossa in Roman numerals). On the reverse shall be an image to be determined by the Royal Bank and Post representative of some aspect of Talossan culture, a large "ℓ" with an amount representing the coin denomination being minted, and an inscription of the denomination of the coin in the Talossan language. (50PD03)
- 2.8.2.4 Creation and Sale of Postal Paraphernalia. The Royal Bank & Post may design, create, issue, and sell postage items, such as stamps and imprinted envelopes, in any denomination, and sell the same at a cost exceeding that expended for their creation. Postal items may be purchased by private individuals or organizations (such as those established to provide postal delivery services) and may be re-sold to the public in exchange for postal delivery or other services. The Royal Bank & Post is empowered to print denominations on postal items which are above the original sale value of postal items charged to a private organization purchasing the same, so to ease any resale of these items by the private organization to the general public, by providing on the face of the item the intended retail purchase price.[18]
- 2.8.2.5. Redemption of Postal Items Forbidden. Postal items may never be redeemed to the Royal Bank & Post for their face value or any other value.
- 2.8.2.6 Creation and Sale of Commemorative Items. The Royal Bank & Post shall design, create, issue, and sell any commemorative items of the Kingdom of Talossa. Such items may be purchased by the general public at a cost at or above that expended for their manufacture, such valuation to be determined by the Royal Bank & Post.
- 2.8.2.7 Disposition of Profit. All profit in the form of foreign currency which is realized from the sale of currency, postal items, and commemoratives or by donations from citizens shall be duly tendered by the Royal Bank & Post to the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue for deposit and safe-keeping within the Royal Treasury.
- 2.8.2.8 [19]
- 2.8.2.9 [20]
- 2.8.2.10 [21]
- 2.8.2.11 Banking Operations. The Royal Bank & Post is empowered to act as a banking facility to serve citizens of the Kingdom of Talossa. The deposit and lending policies of the Bank shall be freely established by the Royal Bank & Post but may be modified by law by action of the Ziu. The safety of all funds deposited with the Royal Bank & Post shall be guaranteed by the government. (47RZ13)
- 2.8.3. The Minister of Finance (or, if the Minister of Finance is not a Member of the Cosa, an MC designated by the Minister of Finance) shall be required to submit to the Ziu, in time for consideration by the second Clark of the Cosa, a government bill approved by the whole Cabinet, to be entitled the Budget and Financial Planning Bill for the (X)th Cosa, which shall contain the following:
- 2.8.3.1. a Financial Report as provided in El Lexhatx C.1.5.6;[22]
- 2.8.3.2. a detailed Budget of the Kingdom of Talossa, listing all planned expenses of the State through the current Cosa, specifying the amounts to be requisitioned for each Cabinet Ministry or Officer of the Royal Household and the purpose of each such expense, sufficient to provide for all expenses of the Kingdom of Talossa until the next budget shall be presented, during the subsequent Cosa;
- 2.8.3.3. any amount of the Treasury to be set aside for investment, and the investment policy that will be pursued;
- 2.8.3.4. the total amount in louise of any planned currency minting and printing, and postage issuance to be executed by the Royal Bank & Post during the term of the current Cosa;
- 2.8.3.5. the total amount in louise of any planned donations proposed to be requested from Talossan citizens towards the upkeep of the State. Neither this nor any other section of el Lexhatx shall be interpreted in such a way as to require compulsory taxation or mandatory donations of any kind.
- 2.8.4. The Budget of the Kingdom of Talossa shall always include funds for re-imbursing the Talossan Web Registrant and others for any payments towards domain registration and hosting on talossa.com and other government run websites made during the previous Cosa term that were not re-imbursed during the previous Cosa term, provided that the government or the previous government has been informed about these payments properly and on time.
- 2.8.4.1 The Ziu hereby authorizes the annual and ongoing expenditure of 60 louis by the Burgermeister of Internal Revenue for the specific and sole purpose of paying for the annual domain name registration of talossa.com and for associated webhosting services as selected by the Seneschal or their designated representative. All payments made under direction of this authority should be reported as according to normal procedure by the Burgermeister.[23]
- 2.8.5 All withdrawals from the Royal Treasury (except as provided for by D.2.8.6, below) must be authorized by action of the Ziu approving the expense for which the withdrawal is made, either in the Budget and Financial Planning Bill required by D.2.8.3 above, or by supplemental budgeting legislation. In accordance with such authorized budgeted expenses, the Government of the day is empowered to requisition such funds from the Royal Treasury (said withdrawal to be performed in fact only by the Burgermeister of Internal Revenue or an authorised deputy).
- 2.8.6. Emergency Spending. During times when any budgeted funds have been exhausted, when no budget has been approved due to rejection by the Ziu, lack of the Financial Report or dissolution of the Cosa without action on a budget; the Prime Minister may issue a Prime Dictate to provide only for emergency spending, but may not act to cause withdrawal of funds from the Royal Treasury to fulfill the terms of any Prime Dictate unless and until the King has explicitly assented to the Prime Dictate.
- 2.8.7. Spending Authority Removal. At any time before an allocation is disbursed by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue, members representing at least one-third of the Cosâ by seats may petition the government that such spending shall not be incurred until such issuance shall be ordered by an act of the Ziu. The Burgermeister of Inland Revenue shall be required to grant all such petitions until such time as an act of the Ziu restores the funding.
- 2.8.8. The Minister of Finance may take such actions as might be necessary to create, manage, and promote a voluntary fundraising campaign to the citizens of Talossa and other interested parties each year. The targeted amount for this campaign shall be the amount given in D.2.8.3.5. Unless otherwise authorized by the Ziu, the fundraising campaign will be concluded in a given term once that targeted amount is reached. Unless otherwise authorized by the Ziu, no more than one fundraising campaign per term will be conducted.
- 2.8.9. The Minister of Finance shall publish information as to the value of the Talossan louis against other currencies as and when necessary, desired or requested. (55RZ10)
- 2.8.10 The Finance Minister shall create a Register of Talossan Enterprises, available to all Talossan citizens. Any Talossan who produces goods and services, whether commercially or as a hobby, may provide a description, no longer than 100 words, of their enterprise together with their contact details, for the purposes of advertisement and information. An enterprise shall be removed from the register at the request of the registrant; or by a determination by the Finance Minister that the enterprise is no longer active, or not of a character with which the Kingdom of Talossa wishes to be associated. Such determinations shall be subject to judicial review.[24]
- 2.8.2. The Finance Minister also serves as the Chairman of the Banqeu es Post Rexhital (Royal Bank & Post) unless he gets too lazy and appoints a Chairman. The Royal Bank and Post is responsible for issuing and regulating the currency and postal paraphernalia of the Kingdom.
- 2.9 The Ministry of Technology, headed by the Technology Minister.
- 2.9.1 The Ministry of Technology shall be responsible for the administration of the publicly-readable Internet presence of the Kingdom, excluding those websites under explicit jurisdiction of other entities of the Kingdom as described in El Lexhátx A.20 or elsewhere in El Lexhátx.
- 2.9.2. The Government shall own the domain name talossa.com, and may purchase and maintain any other Talossa-related domain names as they see fit, following normal budgetary procedures. These domain names and their associated webhosting shall be administered by the Ministry of Technology.[25]
- 2.9.3. There shall exist within the Ministry of Technology an officer to be known as The Talossan Web Registrant who shall act as the domain name registrant for the domains stated in D.2.9.2 and any other government operated domains as required. The Talossan Web Registrant shall be appointed and dismissed by the Minister of Technology. The Talossan Web Registrant shall inform the government of any payments due or made towards domain registration and hosting of any government operated websites and domains and shall be reimbursed for any payments made as soon as is practicably possible and in accordance with all law relating to the governmental budget.
- 2.9.4. The Minister of Technology shall ensure that access details for all official internet accounts are held in a secure and central location and shall ensure the continuity and smooth handover of these details between changes of government. (56RZ12)
- 2.10 The Minister of STUFF, heading the Ministry of STUFF (Ministrà del Sanavar da Talossa al Ultra-Fiôvân Folâs), which shall be responsible for the internal and external promotion of the Kingdom, all events therein and all things Talossan through public relations, and shall dutifully ensure that the Kingdom and its events are regularly publicised and may use any means and media available to them to achieve this.
- 2.10.1 The Minister of STUFF shall be directly responsible for the content of one or more websites and/or social media accounts named as the 'official' website(s) and social media account(s) of the Kingdom.
- 2.10.2. The Ministry of STUFF shall be in charge of TalossaWare, that is, the production of "physical embodiments of Talossanity", whether for distribution to citizens, to publicise the Kingdom to outsiders, or to sell for profit.
- 2.10.3 The Ministry of STUFF shall be responsible for ensuring the availability, for all Talossans, of the following: a) the records of the Scribery as described in C.1.2; b) up-to-date information on the personnel of all Government, Royal Household, Civil Service and Chancery office-holders. (55RZ1) (56RZ12)
- 2.11. Repealed per (51RZ10)
3. Each Cabinet Officer shall be empowered to create within his Ministry other subdivisions not listed by this title, but any such reorganization shall require the approval of the Seneschal. (50RZ9)
4. All governmental employees other than the Cabinet officers shall retain their offices through changes of government, but may be dismissed at any time by the Seneschal or by any superior officer within the ministry, in accordance with such regulations as may be adopted by or under the authority of the Seneschal. Whenever there is a vacancy in any position without a qualified deputy, the individual holding the position immediately superior to the vacant position shall be responsible for the performance of all duties assigned to the vacant position.
5. This section is blank per (53RZ28). - Scribe GV 5 Nov. 2019
6. In the absence of any statutory provision directing otherwise, any ministries created hereafter shall take precedence after the Ministry of Justice, in the order of their creation.
7. The Seneschal shall be entitled to the honorific prefix "The Most Honourable." All other cabinet officers shall be entitled to the honorific prefix "The Right Honourable."
8. The government of the Kingdom of Talossa has the duty and responsibility to make public information about and held by the government's cabinet ministries and sub offices within the guidelines set below: (40RZ9)
- 8.1. Information Available for Request
- 8.1.1. A citizen may only request access to information that has been recorded on paper, computer file, video file and/or audio file. Unrecorded opinion does not fall within the scope of this legislation.
- 8.1.2. A citizen may request information regarding the business of the government's executive offices and the government's cabinet ministries so long as the information being requested does not conflict with D.8.2 or D.8.3.
- 8.1.3. Leaders of political parties may access some personal contact details as set out in D.8.5.
- 8.2. Information Exempt from Request
- 8.2.1. The type of information not available for access is outlined as follows:
- 8.2.1.1. Records that are of a personal nature where the disclosure of such records would clearly infringe a citizen's individual privacy in accordance with the Sixth Covenant of Article XI (Covenant of Rights and Freedoms) of the 1997 Organic Law of the Kingdom of Talossa. This also includes private medical, counseling, or psychological records. (53RZ22 and previous legislation)
- 8.2.1.2 Records of a law enforcement or military agency only when the records meet one or more of the following criteria:
- 8.2.1.2.1. The records would identify informants or witnesses,
- 8.2.1.2.2. The records would identify undercover officers,
- 8.2.1.2.3. The records would provide personal information of officers or officer's family members,
- 8.2.1.2.4. The records would provide details of current operations or protocol. This includes details of communication codes and plans of deployment.
- 8.2.1.2.5. The records would endanger the life or safety of officers or officer's families if the information was disclosed.
- 8.2.1.2.6. The records are of an ongoing investigation.
- 8.2.1.2.7. Records that fall within the scope of medical practitioner - patient privilege, attorney - client privilege, religious figure privilege, or any and all current and future privilege recognized by Statutory Law, Organic Law or Cort Rule.
- 8.2.1.2.8. Records of security measures and records that would hinder the body's ability to maintain the physical security of custodial or penal institutions occupied by persons arrested or convicted of a crime or admitted because of a mental disability.
- 8.2.1.3. Conversation logs that may be regarded as private may also be excluded from the scope of this legislation.
- 8.3. Burden of Proof
- 8.3.1. The burden of proof falls on the body that has been asked to disclose any and all requested information. The requester of the information does not have an obligation to provide an explanation for their request.
- 8.3.2. If a request for information is denied by the body then an explanation as to why the request has been denied must be given.
- 8.3.3. If a body fails to disclose requested information without a valid reason then the uppermost cort, or any other cort as set up by the Ziu, will reserve the right to force the body to disclose.
- 8.3.4. The Corts will also arbitrate cases in which a requester feels a given reason was not sufficient enough to deny the request.
- 8.4. Data Protection
- 8.4.1. Personal information such as, but not limited to, private mailing addresses, contact telephone numbers and private email addresses, given names, ages, date of births and national security numbers shall be held on file and shall only be accessed by the Secretary of State or The King without prior permission of the person to whom the information relates to. In all other instances permission must be obtained by the person to whom the personal information relates to.
- 8.4.2. The type of information and records described in D.8.4.1. above shall never be passed on to outside agencies for the purposes of data farming or market research. The details may be passed onto non-Talossan law enforcement agencies in the interest of international law enforcement and co-operation.
- 8.4.3. Personal Information described in clause 1 above shall never be published on any public website belonging to the Kingdom as an asset.
- 8.5. Information Available to Political Party Leaders
- 8.5.1. An Electorate Database shall be made available to political party leaders.
- 8.5.2. The Database shall only be accessible by leaders of parties which have been fully registered with the Chancery and provincial officers, provided the conditions in D.8.5 are met.
- 8.5.3. The Database shall contain the following information on each of the Kingdom's Citizens only: Name, Province, E-Mail address.
- 8.5.4. The E-Mail address of a citizen shall only be made available to party leaders if the citizen has opted-in to receive election communications
- 8.5.5. Measures shall be taken to ensure that the database is kept non-public and can only be viewed by the audience intended.
- 8.5.6. Additional information may be held upon the database against any given person ONLY if that person requests such information to be included.
- 8.5.7. Any citizen may request to opt-out of having their E-Mail address included in this database for any reason at any time by notifying the Chancery.
- 8.6. Information Available to Provincial Officers
- 8.6.1. Provincial officers may have access to part of the electoral database established by D.8.5, provided the following conditions are met:
- 8.6.1.1. The provincial officer is (partly) responsible for the conduct of provincial elections and needs the information in the database for the conduct of these elections.
- 8.6.1.2. Provincial law of the province for which the officer serves must actively allow the officer to have access to the information.
- 8.6.1.3. The provincial officer must send a request to the SoS for access to the information. The SoS may refuse the request if the conditions in 10.6. are not met.
- 8.6.1.4. The provincial officer will only get access to the information about the citizens of the province for which he is conducting the elections.
- 8.6.1.5. The provincial officer may not share the information with anyone not entitled to the information.
- 8.6.1.6. The provincial officer may use the information only for the conduct of provincial elections.
- 8.7. Information Available to Presiding Officers (53RZ5)
- 8.7.1. Presiding officers of the Cosa, the Senate and all provincial legislatures may have access to part of the electoral database established by D.8.5. The following conditions apply: (53RZ5)
- 8.7.1.1. Provincial law of the province for which the officer serves must actively allow the officer to have access to the information. (53RZ5)
- 8.7.1.2. Provincial presiding officers must send a request to the SoS for access to the information. The SoS may refuse the request if the conditions in 8.7.1.1 are not met. (53RZ5)
- 8.7.1.3. Each presiding officer shall only be given access to the contact informations of the members of the relevant legislature. (53RZ5)
- 8.7.1.4. Each presiding officer may not share the information with anyone not entitled to the information. (53RZ5)
- 8.7.1.5. Each presiding officer may use the information only for the conduct of parliamentary business. (53RZ5)
8.8 Information Available to All Citizens (53RZ23)
- 8.8.1. An Contact Information Database shall be made available to all citizens. (53RZ23)
- 8.8.2. The Database shall contain the following information on each of the Kingdom's Citizens only: Name, Province, E-Mail address. (53RZ23)
- 8.8.3. The E-Mail address of a citizen shall only be made available if the citizen has opted-in to receiving communications. Opting-in to the Electorate Database does not constitute opting-in to the Contact Information Database. (53RZ23)
- 8.8.4. Additional information may be held upon the database against any given person ONLY if that person requests such information to be included. (53RZ23)
- 8.8.5. Each electoral ballot and census shall ask if the citizen would like to opt-in to the Electoral Database and the Contact Information Database. Any citizen may request to opt-out of having their E-Mail address included in this database for any reason at any time by notifying the Chancery. (56RZ6)
E. Immigration
1. Prospective immigrants who will be age fourteen or older by the next regularly scheduled Balloting Day shall be directed to the Minister of Immigration. The Minister of Immigration shall act on every such request received by that office, without discriminating on the basis of age, political preference, religion, or other personal information. (35RZ22) (46RZ17) (47RZ8)
2. The Minister of Immigration shall ascertain to his own satisfaction, through correspondence or conversation, that the prospective immigrant is a real human being with genuine interest in becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. The Minister shall be free to inquire of the applicant on any and every subject, and shall be required to collect the legal name or name used in daily life, postal address (optional if the applicant is under 18 years of age, except for information needed to assign the applicant to a province), telephone number, and e-mail address(es) of the candidate, which information the Minister shall communicate to the Secretary of State. The applicant shall affirm or swear, under penalty of perjury and under the provisions of Lexhatx A.16.1, that this information is accurate, and shall provide documentary evidence of the same if the Minister thinks it appropriate. Additionally, the Immigration Minister shall be required to collect an essay, written by the applicant, entitled "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan." (47RZ8) (52RZ1) (54RZ4)
3. The Minister of Immigration , working with the Seneschál, the Minister of Stuff, The Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet and/or the nation's Wittmeister shall cause the prospective immigrant to be granted an account on Wittenberg, allowing said prospective immigrant to converse with the subjects of the Kingdom gathered there. The Immigration Minister shall verify that the said account is fully-enabled, and that the candidate is able to communicate using this forum with the citizens of the Kingdom. The Immigration Minister shall then begin a single thread on Wittenberg introducing the prospective immigrant to the nation. The "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan" essay shall be published by the Immigration Minister in this introduction. The Immigration Minister is further directed to remind his fellow citizens from time to time that the initiation of new citizens into Talossa is a serious matter and that questioning a prospective citizen is a patriotic obligation of all who love their King and Country. (54RZ6) (47RZ8)
4. An examination period shall begin with the prospective citizen’s first posting to Wittenberg after an introduction by the Immigration Minister. At any time at least fifteen days after the beginning of the examination period, any current citizen of Talossa may petition the Secretary of State requesting that a Royal Grant of Citizenship be issued to the prospective citizen. If no such petition is laid before the Secretary of State within the first sixty days of the examination period, the examination period shall end, the immigration process for the prospective citizen shall be terminated, and their Wittenberg account shall be disabled. In addition, if a prospective citizen fails to ever make a first posting to Wittenberg within thirty days of their introduction by the Immigration Minister then the immigration process for the prospective citizen shall be terminated, and his Wittenberg account shall be disabled. Furthermore, whenever an immigration process is terminated then the Immigration Minister shall notify the nation and the prospective citizen of the termination, and shall post a notification to the effect on Wittenberg. (54RZ13) (54RZ8) (47RZ8) (55RZ3)
5. If, at any point during the process, either before or after creation of the Wittenberg account, the Immigration Minister determines that the prospective immigrant shall not be considered further, the prospective immigrant shall be informed of this decision, and shall be made aware that a Grant of Citizenship may yet be obtained by the disappointed applicant if an act of the Ziu be passed directing that such a grant be issued. Any account created for the applicant on Wittenberg shall then be terminated. (47RZ8)
- 5.1 Any person, whose citizenship is denied, may reapply by undergoing the entire procedure (minus any successfully completed portions) following the next general election. [26]
6. If the prospective immigrant is not a user of the Internet, such that he will not be able to participate in the process on Wittenberg, the process as described above shall be followed regardless, except that a Wittenberg account shall not be created for the prospective immigrant, and that the Immigration Minister shall be responsible for communicating all postings on Wittenberg to the prospective immigrant, receiving responses thereto from the prospective immigrant, and posting them on Wittenberg in reply. Additionally, for such persons without Internet access, ten days shall be added to the minimum and maximum time allowed in clause 4 for the presentation to the Secretary of State of any petition for the issuance of a Grant of Citizenship. (47RZ8)
7. The Secretary of State shall, on a date of his choosing, but within a period of ten days after receiving a petition to issue a Grant of Citizenship as described in clause 4, determine the provincial assignment of the prospective immigrant and issue a Royal Grant of Citizenship to the immigrant. This Grant shall be issued under the Royal Seal, either as applied by the Chancery, or, should the Majesty request, by the Sovereign under his or her own hand. If requested by the Government, the Grant may also bear the signatures of the Seneschál and/or Immigration Minister. The Royal Grant shall be promptly issued coincident with the candidate affirming his fealty to the Royal House and his allegiance to the Kingdom by taking any Oath of Talossan Citizenship specified by law. At the time this Royal Grant is issued, and from that point forward, the applicant shall be a full citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. The fact of the issuance of this Grant shall be posted on Wittenberg by the Secretary of State, that the new citizen may be welcomed by his compatriots. Any and all objections raised to the immigration made after this Royal Grant will be moot. (47RZ8)
- 7.1. Future immigrants to Talossa shall be assigned to provinces based on the provisions of this title. (34RZ9)
- 7.1.1. Talossan citizens physically living within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Talossa shall be assigned to whichever province they are actually living in.
- 7.1.2. Citizens living outside the boundaries of Talossa shall be assigned to a province corresponding to a geographic zone. The entire globe shall be divided into eight geographic zones so that anyone living anywhere outside Talossa is automatically assigned to the corresponding Talossan province. (47RZ2)
- 7.2. The provincial assignments of all Talossan citizens, as of 1 May 2005/XXVII, are unchanged by this title.
- 7.3. No Talossan citizen may transfer his provincial citizenship to a different province, except by physically moving into that province or into the zone corresponding to that province. A citizens living inside or outside of Talossa, who moves permanently into an outside zone corresponding to a different province will be (re)assigned by the SoS to the province corresponding to the new geographic zone in accordance with the following provisions:
7.3.1 The provisions in this section do not apply unless the citizen explicitly consents to being reassigned. Whenever any Talossan wants to move his provincial assignment to the province in whose assigned area he actually lives, he may do so by notifying the Chancery. The move will be officially recognised once the Chancery has validated the request. (49RZ21 49RZ13)
7.3.2 The Secretary of State will be responsible for the various moves and assignments which result from this title. These moves and assignments will take effect on their official announcement by the Secretary of State. (49RZ21 47RZ2)
7.3.3 Any citizen who happens to find himself living in the catchment area of a different province, subsequent to the creation of a new province or the alteration of catchment area boundaries, will be allowed to choose between remaining a citizen of his current province or becoming a citizen of the province whose catchment area he now lives in. The provisions of article 7.3.2 apply to this rule as if the citizen is assigned to the wrong province.(49RZ8)
- 7.4. ATATÜRK PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Atatürk Province: All suburbs of Milwaukee within Milwaukee County, which lie to the north and east of the City of Milwaukee; the Wisconsin Counties of Washington, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Calumet, Manitowoc, Kewaunee, and Door; and the U.S. states of Massachussetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador and Nova Scotia. Overseas, the nations of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Northern Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Banghladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Rep. of the Congo, Gabon, Sao Tomé, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
- 7.5. BENITO PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Benito Province: the Wisconsin counties of Waukesha, Jefferson, Dane, Marathon, Wood, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, Columbia, and Dodge. Overseas, the nations of Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Cyprus; plus all nations in Africa north of the Equator not listed elsewhere. (51RZ11)
- 7.6. VUODE PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Vuode Province: The City of Milwaukee (WI) and the U.S. states of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri.
- 7.7. MARICOPA PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Maricopa Province: the Wisconsin counties of Polk, Barron, St. Croix, Pierce, Dunn, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Clark, Pepin, Buffalo, Trempeleau, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Juneau, Adams, Vernon, Crawford, Richland, Sauk, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, and Green; and the U.S. states of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Hawaii, California, Arkansas and Louisiana. Overseas, the nations of South America (except Brazil) and all of continental Central America.
- 7.8. FLORENCIA PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Florencia Province: the Wisconsin counties of Florence, Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Vilas, Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer, Rusk, Taylor, Price, Oneida, Lincoln, Langlade, Forest, Menominee, Shawano, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, and Brown; and the U.S. states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and the Canadian provinces and territories of Yukon, Northwest, Nunavut, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario.
- 7.9. MARITIIMI-MAXHESTIC PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Maritiimi-Maxhestic Province: All suburbs of the City of Milwaukee within Milwaukee County which lie to the south and west of the City of Milwaukee, and also the Wisconsin Counties of Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, and Rock; and the U.S. states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, Delaware and Maryland. Overseas, all the nations of insular Central America and Puerto Rico.
- 7.10. CÉZEMBRE PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Cézembre Province: the nations of Ireland, United Kingdom, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Monaco and any European nation not listed elsewhere.
- 7.11. FIOVA PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Fiova Province: the nations of Australia, New Zealand, all Oceanian nations, all Asian nations not listed elsewhere, Brazil, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Comoros, Seychelles, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Angola, and all nations in Africa south of the Equator not listed elsewhere, and all nations of the world not included elsewhere. (51RZ4)
- 7.12. No Talossan citizen shall be assigned to the Territory of Péngöpäts or to any other Talossan territory.
8. At any time before a Grant of Citizenship is conferred, the Sovereign, or members representing at least one-third of the Cosâ by seats, or members representing at least one-third of the Senäts, or any single Justice of the Uppermost Cort may petition the Chancery that the said Grant of Citizenship shall not be issued until such issuance shall be ordered by an act of the Ziu. The Secretary of State shall be required to grant all such petitions, and shall withhold any issuance of a Royal Grant of Citizenship to the prospective immigrant who is the subject of such a petition until such time as an act of the Ziu directing the issuance of such a grant becomes law.
9. The following text shall be known as The Oath of Talossan Citizenship: (37RZ3)
- From this day forward, I pledge my loyalty, allegiance, and fidelity to the Kingdom of Talossa and to His Majesty's government. I solemnly affirm that I will support and uphold the Organic Law of the Kingdom of Talossa, defend the realm against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, faithfully observe its laws, respect the rights and freedoms of all my fellow citizens, fulfill all my duties and obligations as a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa, and humbly appreciate the benefits granted unto me by my King, most especially when those benefits take the form of Talossan currency.
- 9.1. Whenever the oath shall be taken in times when the sovereign be female, appropriate changes in the wording of the oath (specifically, using the word "Queen" in place of "King", and "her" in place of "his") shall be made, in due deference to Her Majesty, whosoever she may be.
- 9.2. No Royal Grant of Citizenship shall be issued to a prospective citizen until the said person has recited The Oath of Talossan Citizenship in the presence of a royal personage or member of the Royal Household, or, alternatively, has published to the nation a signed copy of this oath.
10. If the Uppermost Cort shall at any subsequent time find any fraud or dishonesty in a Citizen's original application for citizenship, including his statements to the Cort or to Cosâ members, it may impose the penalty of expulsion from Talossa. The King may commute such a sentence. [27]
11. The Immigration Ministry shall not publicly reveal any data regarding prospectives other than their name and general locale, unless authorised by the prospective to do so. (32RZ24) (47RZ8)
- 11.1. A prospective's contact information such as telephone, address, email, AIM, ICQ, et cetera, shall be provided by the Minister of Immigration only to the King, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Cort, as needed. Any other requests from Talossan citizens for such data will be passed along to the prospective for his or her consideration by the Ministry of Immigration. (49RZ18 47RZ8)
- 11.2. The Deputy Minister of Immigration shall continue to receive, by reason of the nature of his position, copies of all data pertaining to prospectives, including any email not specifically intended by the prospective to be private. (47RZ8)
- 11.3. Any official in the Ministry of Immigration who has been found by the Cort to have violated these conditions shall be summarily removed from that office by the Cort. (47RZ8)
- 11.4 If, during the immigration process, a prospective citizen states that it is OK for Talossans to contact them by email, the prospective shall be opted-in to the Electoral Database and Contact Information Database once they are granted citizenship. The Secretary of State shall notify the new citizen that they may opt-out at any time by contacting the Chancery. (53RZ23)
12. There shall be no use of the Talossan name in letterheads, banners, publications of all kinds or in any writing to imply that the said writing would constitute an "official" Talossan document and/or originate from the Kingdom of Talossa, her Provinces, Cantons, Territories and all other lands and organizations, without said document being composed in whole or in part by a Talossan citizen, or authorized by the Ziu in the case of prospective citizens. (23RZ14)
13. [28]
14. An individual whose citizenship has been terminated solely by effect of Article X, Section 5 of the Organic Law may apply to the Chancery for reinstatement of citizenship by providing the contact information required by section E.2. (47RZ46) (57RZ1)
- 14.1. The Secretary of State shall reactivate the citizenship of the individual upon confirming that the individual can be contacted at the same e-mail address previously on file with the Chancery, or otherwise verifying to the Secretary of State's satisfaction the identity of the applicant as a former citizen.
- 14.2. Reinstatement of citizenship under this section does not require a new grant of citizenship under section E.7, and the reinstated citizen shall be restored to his or her previous province rather than assigned according to the provisions of subsection E.7.1.
15. A Writ of Termination of Citizenship, as described in Article X, Section 4 of the Organic Law, shall be published under the seal of the Chancery. [29]
- 15.1 A Citizen who has voluntarily renounced his citizenship (in any fashion) may go through the normal citizenship procedure to have his citizenship restored. This procedure may also be skipped and full citizenship restored by an act of the Ziu, if it deems that the applicant merits extraordinary consideration. The Ziu may also, by statute, establish expedited procedures to reinstate former citizens deemed to have renounced their citizenship under Article X, Section 4. [30]
F. Culture
1. The following Table of Precedence shall be used in any circumstances where it is deemed appropriate or desirable to do so. Amendments to the Table of Precedence may be made from time to time as may be necessary. (34RZ12)
- 1.1. The King
- 1.2. The Queen
- 1.3. Children of the Sovereign in birth order
- 1.4. The Prime Minister
- 1.5. Senior Justice of the Uppermost Cort
- 1.6. The Mencei of the Senate
- 1.7. The Speaker of the Cosâ
- 1.8. The members of the nobility and knighthood in order of their rank and tenure
- 1.9. Cabinet members according to the seniority of their ministries
- 1.10. The Secretary of State
- 1.11. Provincial Constables
- 1.12. Premiers of Provinces
- 1.13. Puisne Justices of the Uppermost Cort in order of their appointment.
- 1.14. Senators
- 1.15. MCs
- 1.16. Admiral of the Talossan Royal Navy
- 1.17. Speakers of the various provincial legislatures in order of their appointment
- 1.18. Provincial Cabinet members in order of their date of appointment
- 1.19. Members of Provincial legislatures
- 1.20. Recipients of Talossan Honours
- 1.21. Talossan citizens in order of their naturalisation
2. The list of public holidays recognised and observed by the government is as follows: (41RZ6)
- 2.1. 1 January. New Year's Day. Commemorating the first day of the calendar year, and World Day of Peace.
- 2.2. Third Monday in January. Landmark Day. Commemorating all Talossan landmarks, such as Grecian Delight (which has its day of observance on 19 January).
- 2.3. Third Monday in February. Culture Day. Commemorating the rich culture of the Kingdom, in line with Napoleon's Memorial Wargaming Day (which has its day of observance on 21 February), and being a traditional kick-off day for celebration of Berber Heritage Month.
- 2.4. 20 April. Reunision Day. Commemorating the royal proclamation of Reunision and the end of the National Schism. (57RZ6)
- 2.5. Final Monday in May. Cestour Day. Celebrating Cestour heritage and the rich history of the protoTalossan realm, in line with Juneau Day (which has its day of observance on 28 May); celebrating the bridge-building to our Cestour residents that has been the hallmark of our nation.
- 2.6. 1 June. Republic Day. Commemorating the foundation of the Talossan Republic as a day to honour democracy and the popular will, for both Republican and Monarchist traditions. (57RZ6)
- 2.7. 4 July. Foundation Day. Celebrating King Robert I's Birthday (2 July) and Organic Law Day (6 July)
- 2.8. First Monday in September. Monarchy Day (observed). Commemorating the resumption of the Talossan monarchy with the coronation of Florence on 24 August.
- 2.9. 11 November. Armistice Day. Commemorating the proclamation of peace following the Great War, and the invincible moral support that the Kingdom of Talossa contributes to all foreign conflicts, and that it would have contributed to that one in particular had the Kingdom been founded by then. (34RZ3, 26RZ12)
- 2.10. Fourth Thursday in November. Victory Day (observed). Celebrating the triumphant victory of our nation in every single war it has ever fought (specifically, the Cone Wars).
- 2.11. 25 December. Dependence Day. Commemorating the final day of dependence of this nation on another, and also celebrating Christmas Day.
- 2.12. 26 December. Independence Day. Celebrating our nation's first day of independence
3. The government of the Kingdom shall recognise and observe as public holidays any and all days which may be proclaimed as such by the Crown.
4. The government of the Kingdom shall recognise and observe as a public holiday the day of, or the day before, the birthday of the current Sovereign.
- 4.05 The National Anthem of Talossa is "Chirluschâ àl Glheþ." Its English translation, "Stand Tall, Talossans," shall have equal legal status. Words and music shall be determined by law. The patriotic songs "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac and "Ein Feierlichgesang"/"Dallas Pätsilor" by John A. Jahn are also patriotic songs. The Government shall take steps to promote, celebrate, and preserve Talossa's indigenous musical heritage. [31]
- 4.1. Any public holiday named above which is not fixed to a specific day of the week shall be observed on a Monday in years in which it falls on a Sunday, and shall be observed on the preceding Friday in years in which it falls on a Saturday.
- 4.2. All pre-existing days heretofore known as national holidays shall not be public holidays, but Days of Observance.
- 4.3. These Days of Observance include:
- 4.3.1. 19 January. Grecian Delight Remembrance Day. Upon this date, citizens of Talossa shall pay respect and remembrance to this all important and historical site of interest, locum for several pivotal points in our nations history including the 1997 Organic Law Convention, several TalossaFest celebrations and the 2002 Swearing of the Oath of Office of Prime Minister Valcadac'h. The official slogan for this Day of Observance, to be used for publicity and marketing purposes, shall be; "Grecian Delight - The Place Where Everybody Knew Your Name". (49RZ20, 41RZ1)
- 4.3.2. 20 January. Penguin Awareness Day. To pay tribute to the lives of penguins, through reflection on the existence of the order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae, and the Territory of Péngöpäts and; to visit penguins in the wild (preferably in the Territory of Péngöpäts) or at a zoo, or observe and study penguins through video, books, or otherwise, or to dress in penguin-y hued raiment, or to act as if they were in fact a penguin sometime during that day, or to use the Linux operating system in some manner, or to watch a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game, or to consider the careers of third-baseman Ron Cey and actors Burgess Meredith and Danny DeVito, and to support a conservation group such as SANCCOB (The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds; yes, how they got "SANCCOB" out of that is a mystery to us too), the Penguin Foundation, or their local zoo. (42RZ3)
- 4.3.3. 21 January. Squirrel Appreciation Day. To encourage all Talossans to pay tribute to the lives of squirrels, through observation of and reflection on their activities; to encourage all Talossans to participate in service projects such as provision of appropriate mid-winter foodstuffs to supplement the diet of squirrels, and/or activities to protect squirrel habitat, and/or other appropriate actions; and to recognise the benefits of the collaborative work to support squirrels by the many Talossan citizens, just as squirrels support our realm. (40RZ19)
- 4.3.4. 21 February. Napoleon's Memorial Wargaming Day. Each year on that day, Talossans shall share memories of Napoleon's game store and enjoy the national pastime of wargaming. (34RZ1)
- 4.3.5. 28 February. Off with Their Heads Day. This holiday acts as a warning (rather than a means to celebrate) for all current Talossans to remain active and involved. (20RC34)
- 4.3.6. The month of March is "Berber Heritage Month" in Talossa, and all citizens are encouraged to express themselves in whatever medium is appropriate, on the question of Talossa's real or imagined Berbercentric prehistory. (22RZ11)
- 4.3.7. 31 March. Mindless Patriotism Day. This holiday commemorates the passage that day of two important, patriotic laws by the Cosa in 1993. Those were the laws creating "Wargaming" as our "Official National Pastime," and food served at Taco Bell as our "Official National Cuisine." Every March 31st, Talossans are urged to play, read about, or work on designing a wargame, and dine at Taco Bell. (20RC35)
- 4.3.8. 28 May. Juneau Day. To commemorate the day where a few battalions of Juneaumen bravely fought against the evil Kilbournites on the two bridges. (25RZ67)
- 4.3.9. 6 July. Organic Law Day. Talossa is a nation under the rule of law, and this holiday encourages its citizens to reflect on our most fundamental law to foster civic virtue, public-mindedness, and patriotic spirit in our Kingdom. (37PD1)
- 4.3.10. 11 September. International Memorial Day. A day of reflection for all Talossans to honor the memory of all tragedies and celebrate all joys of the past. 38RZ13
- 4.3.11. 15 September. Game Day. To commemorate the day Napoleon's opened its doors in 1979.
- 4.3.12. 22 September. Alfred W. Lawson Day. The anniversary of the day this innovator and aviator's baseball team won the Atlantic League Championship in 1907. (24RZ46)
5. The Flower known as Euphorbia pulcherrima, or commonly known as Poinsettia or Nochebuena, shall be the National Flower of the Kingdom of Talossa. All Talossans are encouraged to have Euphorbia pulcherrima prominently displayed in their homes during the Nation’s Independence Day celebrations. (48RZ13)
6. The crow shall be the National Bird of the Kingdom of Talossa, and a murder of crows (in Talossan, 'n asasinà da crovâs) shall be the National Group of Birds. (23RZ3, 36RZ13, 50RZ9)
7. The Salute to the Flag may be said voluntarily, with one's right hand over one's heart, at all public gatherings which include the Flag. The text of this Salute shall be: "I salute the Talossan flag, with affection and smiling devotion to the Kingdom for which it stands: one Talossan nation, undivided and free, a home for all our people." (34RZ22)
- 7.1 The green of the Talossan flag stands for the Monarchy and its magnanimity; the red for the people and their tenacity. The flag is to be flown inverted during times of declared war. [32]
8. Gloria Estefan is awarded the title of National Entertainer of Talossa. Listening to her music, shaking one's body, and doing the conga shall be the official modes of celebrating this. (49RZ20, 33RZ6)
9. The below emblems are the official representation of the Senäts. The Portcullis symbol by itself is the official symbol of the combined Talossan legislature. (17RC7, 20RC26)
10. The below symbol and flag are the official representations of the Cosa. (20RC27)
11. The following designations shall be used for public buildings in the Kingdom of Talossa, with the understanding that the list may be supplemented or amended by further legislation. (32RZ18)
- 11.1. The Maricopa Capitol Building -- Humphrey House, located at 1200 N Broadway St.
- 11.2. The Vuode Capitol Building -- The Pavilion at Lake Park
- 11.3. The Benito Capitol Building -- Riverside High School
- 11.4. The Atatürk Capitol Building -- Enderis Hall (UWM Campus)
- 11.5. The Cézembre Capitol Building -- Repaire des Corsaires café
- 11.6. The Florenciâ Capitol Building -- The Oriental Theatre
- 11.7. The Maritiimi-Maxhestic Capitol Building -- The Mackey/Mitchell Buildings Complex (on Michigan St.)
- 11.8. Federal Buildings (all in Abbavilla/UWM Campus unless noted)
- 11.9. Executive offices (PM and King) -- Garland/Pearse Hall
- 11.10. Cort offices -- Chapman Hall
- 11.11. Cosâ Chamber and Offices -- Merrill Hall
- 11.12. Senäts Chamber -- Greene Hall
- 11.13. Senäts Offices -- Johnston Hall
- 11.14. Official Residence of the Prime Minister ("Kenwood House") -- Alumni House (in Atatürk, on the lake)
- 11.15. Ministry of Culture -- Holton Hall
- 11.16. Foreign Ministry -- Bolton Hall
- 11.17. Immigration Ministry -- Business Administration Building (47RZ8)
- 11.18. Secretary of State's Offices -- Sabin Hall
- 11.19. National Library/Archives and CÚG Offices -- Golda Meir Library
- 11.20. The Fiôvâ Capitol Building -- The Mitchell Building
12. The National Fish of Talossa is the smelt. (6RC31)
13. The National Insect of Talossa is the pillbug. (6RC31)
14. The Squirrel is the National Mammal of the Kingdom of Talossa. (6RC32)
15. The sugar maple is the officially declared National Tree of Talossa. (6RC33)
16. The UWM Professional Theatre Training Programme (PTTP) and the Clavis Theatre are the National Theatres of Talossa. Both are unrecognized and non-profit, and are in Talossa. UWM represents the classical side of English-speaking threatre, and Clavis the current theatre that is off and off-off Broadway. (6RC54)
17. In commemoration of the longevity of Talossa, all newspapers and official documents bearing the year of publication are required to cite the year in both the Christian and Talossan form. The Talossan Year begins on the 26th of December, and 26 Dec 1979 was Year I of the Kingdom. For example, dates will henceforth be written: "Wednesday, October 21st, 1987/VIII." The abbreviation "A.R.T." is the equivalent to "A.D." and stands for "Anno Regni Talossae." (6RC37)
18. Talossa's national cuisine, inasmuch as it's possible for a country that routinely eats fast food and microwave lunches to have one, is more or less the same as Taco Bell food. (16RC1)
- 18.1. The Qdoba (formerly Z-Teca) chain is recognized with the status of “Honorary Taco Bell”. Eating at Qdoba fulfills one’s ethnic obligations if eating at Taco Bell is inconvenient or otherwise prohibitive. (25RZ9) (47RZ43)
19. Wargaming is Talossa's Official National Pastime. (16RC10)
20. Mystery Science Theater 3000 is henceforth the official television programme of the Kingdom of Talossa. All citizens are urged to watch. (17RC4)
21. "Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits" is the Official Compact Disc of the Kingdom of Talossa. (18RC28)
22. The drums-and-moog tune called "Funk," from the ridiculous 70's Meco "Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk" disco album shall be the official signature tune of all government broadcasting. It has been used informally in this capacity since 1982. (20RC10)
23. The first 1 minute, 8 seconds of the first movement (Allegro brioso) of the First Piano Concerto in D-Flat Major, Opus 10, by Russian composer Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (1891-1953) shall be the signature theme for all official Talossan news segments broadcast on Talossan State Radio services. (20RC37)
24. Manos: The Hands of Fate shall be the the Official Motion Picture of the Kingdom of Talossa. (23RZ34)
25. Until such time as our great nation is able to field our own teams in the respective leagues the following teams will be recognized as the Talossan National Teams.[33]
- 25.1 The Green Bay Packers shall be Talossa's Official NFL Team. The Ziu officially authorises loyal Talossan citizens to refer to the team, heretofore known as the "Green Bay Packers," as the "Florenciâ Packers."[34]
- 25.2 The Milwaukee Brewers shall be Talossa's Official MLB Team. The Ziu officially authorises loyal Talossan citizens to refer to the team, heretofore known as the "Milwaukee Brewers," as the "Maricopa Brewers."[35]
- 25.3 The Milwaukee Bucks shall be Talossa's Official NBA Team. The Ziu officially authorises loyal Talossan citizens to refer to the team, heretofore known as the "Milwaukee Bucks," as the "Benito Bucks."[36]
- 25.4 The Nashville Predators shall be Talossa's Official NHL Team. The Ziu officially authorises loyal Talossan citizens to refer to the team, heretofore known as the "Nashville Predators," as the "Cézembre Predators."[37]
- 25.5 The Milwaukee Admirals shall be Talossa's Official AHL Team. The Ziu officially authorises loyal Talossan citizens to refer to the team, heretofore known as the "Milwaukee Admirals," as the "Maritiimi-Maxhestic Admirals."[38]
- 25.6 The Milwaukee Wave shall be Talossa's Official Major Arena Soccer League Team. The Ziu officially authorises loyal Talossan citizens to refer to the team, heretofore known as the "Milwaukee Wave," as the "Fiovă Wave." [39]
26. The "Zog Salute," raising the right arm as if to make a 'fascist' salute but bending the elbow back across the chest with the palm downward, is recognized as the official salute of the Kingdom of Talossa and encourages its public display at all Talossan social functions. (25RZ13)
27. This section blank per (49RZ20)
28. The Ziu hereby confers the status of National Historic Site to the 1800 block of North Avenue in Benito Province, the site of the Grecian Delight restaurant, which was destroyed by fire on 19th January 2010. (49RZ20, 28RZ16)
29. The official system of weights and measures within the Kingdom of Talossa is the Metric System. (50RZ20)
30. "Ishtar," a classic movie containing many allusions to Talossan Berber traits, situations, problems, resolutions and musical compositions, shall be the official Berber-themed film of the Kingdom of Talossa. (49RZ20, 28RZ10)
- 30.1 Couscous shall be the official Talossan Berber treat.
31. [40]
32. [41]
33. [42]
34. Enver Hoxha International Airport shall be known in perpetuity as the Alfred W. Lawson International Airport. (42RZ22)
35. "Riverside Park", located in the Benito province of the Kingdom of Talossa, surrounded by East Locust Street to the North, the river to the West, North Oakland Avenue to the East and East Park Place to the South, be renamed to "King John Woolley on the Riverside Park". (43RZ14)
36. Animals and pets belonging to owners of Talossan citizenship shall be considered to be Talossan-in-nature. Any animal that shows an appreciation for beer or Talossan cuisine shall also be considered to be Talossan-in-nature. Talossan citizens are encouraged to know the Talossan name of their furry, feathered, scaled or otherwise critters. (43RZ24)
37. The shires of Pengöpäts known as Coldstrand, Evaniana, and Uttersouth, as well as the Territorial capital, Everwhite, now have official Talossan forms, respectively: Platxafred, Adiensiană, Sudurbeniă, and Schembiançă. The non-Talossan forms may be used as an alternative by those not familiar with the Talossan Language, although using the Talossan forms shall be considered a way of demonstrating respect and admiration for our wonderful language and our great nation. (49RZ20, 40RZ3)
38. [43]
39. The office of Seneschal, Secretary of State, and Senior Justice shall be symbolized by totem items of rank. These items will be provided as speedily as possible by the government, with care for their quality and the economics of the matter. Designs and the nature of the items are the responsibility of the government, through whatever channels it deems appropriate. (54RZ14) (38RZ3) (48RZ19)
- 39.1. The Seneschal shall wear a chain of office of sufficient ostentation as befits the leader of Talossa, representing the burden of being shackled to the nation's welfare. (54RZ14)
- 39.2. The Secretary of State shall wield a stamp embossed with the logo of his office, being both an effective and appropriate totem that can be used henceforth. (54RZ14)
- 39.3. The Senior Justice shall bear a wig of reasonable quality, indicating a traditional role as a judge and the flowing locks of Lady Justice herself. (54RZ14)
- 39.4. Each bearer of these items shall be required, if they lose their office, to mail them to the King within two weeks, from whom the items shall be passed on to the next holder of the office. Should the next holder of the office be known within two weeks, the former incumbent may contact the King and the new incumbent to arrange for the direct shipment of the item to the new incumbent, if the King so authorizes. (54RZ14)
40. The Talossan Honours System. The Talossan Honours System is administered by the Chancellery of Honours under the Minister of Culture and is divided into two categories: Orders and Decorations.
- 40.1 ORDERS (53RZ29) The Talossan Honours System has both Dynastic (Honours created by the sovereign in which membership is considered a personal gift of the sitting monarch, granted without advice of the government) and National (Honours created by Talossan law and tradition and membership in which is granted on the advice of the Government) elements. Most have a number of grades to acknowledge different levels of achievement and giving flexibility to the awarding body. The appointment to an order also entitles the appointee to post-nominal letters. (53RZ29)
- 40.1.1 Dynastic Orders (53RZ29)
- 40.1.1.1 The Order for the Nation (L'Urderi per la Naziun): The Order for the Nation is the senior order and is the most commonly awarded. The Crown recognises worthy citizens, offering them admission into the order for long and dedicated service to the nation, or for particular acts of valour in the defence of the realm. The Order of the Nation has one grade, that of Knight or Dame, and are entitled to add the honorific 'UrN' to their name. (53RZ29)
- 40.1.2 National Orders (53RZ29)
- 40.1.2.1 The Order of the Purple Tongue: (L'Urðeri dal Glhimba Purpül) The Order of the Purple Tongue is the Order of Knighthood reserved by the Crown for recognition of outstanding contributions to the fields of Talossan language use, study, or development. The Order of the Purple Tongue has one grade, that of Knight or Dame, and are entitled to add the honorific 'UrGP' to their name. (53RZ29)
- 40.1.2.2 The Order of the Flag (L'Urðeri del Bicoloreu): The Order of the Flag is reserved by the Crown for recognition of outstanding contributions in patriotic acts, and (with Crossed Sabers) for outstanding military merit to the nation through leadership, development and long service in the Talossan Armed Forces. The Order of the Flag has one grade, that of Knight or Dame, and admitted members to the order are entitled to add the honorific 'UrB' to their name. (53RZ29)
- 40.2 DECORATIONS (53RZ29). Decorations are awarded for gallantry, civilian bravery, or meritorious services. While similar to National Orders, they may or may not be created by the Sovereign and conferred by either the Crown’s designee or a Governmental Body; and are traditionally worn on the left side of the jacket or dress. Decorations may also entitle recipients to usage of post-nominals. Whenever a governmental body wishes to grant a Decoration to a citizen it shall communicate this intent to the Sovereign. Once per Cosa, and during the final Clark of a Cosa, the Sovereign shall conduct an Investitures Ceremony where the recipients of these awards shall be announced. The Sovereign shall formally present award insignia to those recipients on behalf of the body conferring the award. (54RZ19) (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1 National Decorations (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.1 The Medal of Cincinnatus: The “Medal of Cincinnatus” may be awarded by the King in recognition for acts of extraordinary Talossanicity in the face of opposition. Recipients of this Medal are entitled to follow their names with the honorific “Cin.” (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.2 The Seneschál’s Medals: The Seneschál’s Medal is the highest award given by the government of Talossa. The Seneschal's Medal is awarded by the Seneschal for outstanding contributions to the Kingdom and are awarded in the following categories: (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.2.1 The Seneschál’s Medal for the Arts – Honorific of SMA (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.2.2 The Seneschál’s Medal for Science – Honorific of SMS (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.2.3 The Seneschál’s Medal for Culture – Honorific of SMC (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.2.4 The Seneschál’s Medal for Literature and Language – Honorific of SML (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.2.5 The Seneschál’s Medal for Merit – Honorific of SMM (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.3 Senatorial Medal of Honour: The Senatorial Medal of Honour is the highest award given by the Ziu. It was established by 25RZ77, The Senatorial Medal of Honour Act. Recipients are entitled to add the honorific S.H. after their names. The medal is awarded by a Resolution of the Senate with Royal Assent. (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.4 The Talossan Meritorious Service Cross, with post-nominal letters MSC, is specifically intended to recognize those individuals who through meritorious acts performed outside Talossa which bring benefit and honour to the Kingdom of Talossa and the Crown. While the military division of this award recognises those highly professional acts that are of considerable benefit to the Armed Services, the civilian counterpart honours similar acts—whether in athletics, diplomatic relations, humanitarian activities, etc.— benefiting the nation as a whole. (53RZ29)
- 40.2.1.5 Provincial Honours & Decorations Each of the Talossan provinces have duly authorized internal honours system of their own, allowing for the recognition of their citizens directly. For the purpose of Order of Wear, all Provincial Honours are worn in the order in which the respective province came under the Crown, oldest province in the most senior position and descending from there. (53RZ29)
G. Justice
1. The General Cort of Talossa
- 1.1. The Ziu enlarges the number of Puisne Judges to a total of three in accord with Section 3 of Article VIII of the Organic Law.
- 1.2. The Ziu establishes the General Cort of Talossa, which shall be an inferior nisi prius cort, cort of first instance, and of general jurisdiction consistent with Article VIII of the Organic Law.
- 1.2.1. Any citizen of Talossa who has satisfied the Ministry of Justice of their knowledge of Talossan law and jurisprudence, and of their good character, may be recommended to the King or to the Cort pü Inalt to be named as a Community Jurist (CJ).
- 1.2.2. Community Jurists may be deprived of this designation by the Cort pü Înalt, upon presentation of a preponderance of evidence by the Ministry of Justice that their good character or their legal knowledge is no longer satisfactory.
- 1.2.3. The Clerk of the Corts shall appoint, by random selection, a single Community Jurist to preside over the General Cort for any case arising under this section.
- 1.2.3.1. If no qualified CJ is available to hear a given case, the Clerk of the Corts shall appoint a single Judge of the Cort pü Inalt to preside over the General Cort for that case.
- 1.2.4. The judicial official presiding over a matter in the General Cort of Talossa shall be styled as "Magistrate" for the purposes of that proceeding.
- 1.2.5. Unless an appeal lies as of right, an aggrieved party to an action may seek leave to appeal any determination of the General Cort to the Cort pü Inalt.
- 1.2.6. A Magistrate may not sit as a Judge on the Cort pü Inalt for any appeal related to a proceeding over which they presided as a magistrate.
- 1.2.7. A Magistrate must recuse themselves from a matter upon a real or apparent conflict of interest.
2. The Practice of Law in the National Corts of Talossa.
The following guidelines shall exist for the practice of law within the realm:
- 2.1. The practice of law shall be defined as the representation of individuals, corporations and government bodies before the Uppermost Cort, Military Cort, or any inferior court established by the Ziu; or the professional discussion or advice on matters of a legal nature.
- 2.2. Practice before the Uppermost Cort or any inferior National Court established by the Ziu shall be limited to members in good standing of the National Talossan Bar.
- 2.3. Practice before Military Courts shall be restricted to members of the National Talossan Bar or to any commissioned officer granted waiver by the Minister of Defence to serve as a legal representative, pursuant to Ministry of Defence guidelines.
- 2.4. Practice before Provincial Courts shall be governed by Provincial Law.
- 2.5. No part of this law shall limit an individual's ability to represent themselves before any court of the realm.
- 2.6. Provincial Premiers (or the provincial equivalent thereto) shall have the authority to represent their Province, in actions brought before a National Court, as a function of their office. This responsibility may be delegated only to a member of the National Talossan Bar.
- 2.7. The use of titles such as lawyer, attorney, barrister, solicitor, or councillor/counselor-at-law or any other title reserved by guidelines of the National Talossan bar shall be restricted to those who are licensed to engage in the practice of law within the realm.
- 2.8. Individuals who are party to an action brought before a Cort of the realm and cannot find suitable legal representation due to a shortage of qualified practitioners of law, conflicts of interest or for personal reasons to be outlined in a petition presented before the cort, may apply for a waiver to permit any adult Talossan citizen to represent them before the Cort in a specified legal action serving as a legal proxy.
- 2.9. Individuals operating under waiver shall not be entitled to present themselves as attorneys, lawyers, barristers, solicitors, or councillor/counselor-at-law, nor shall approval of such waiver imply membership in the National Talossan Bar.
- 2.10. Petitions for waiver shall be made to the Cort in which the action is to be brought. All waivers shall expire upon the final disposition of the case and shall remain in force through any appeal. Waivers granted by a lower court need not be renewed or reissued if the action is brought before the Uppermost Cort in appeal. Waivers may be terminated by the petitioner or the proxy at any time during court proceedings and shall notify the Court of said termination within 48 hours of its effective date. Waivers may be withdrawn through judicial order in the event of misconduct or inadequate representation.
- 2.11. Corts shall grant petitioned waivers unless the designated proxy has been convicted of a felony, has presented themselves unlawfully to be an attorney, lawyer, barrister, solicitor or councillor/counselor of law, has falsely claimed Bar membership or other official standing within the National Talossan Bar or has received monetary compensation or other financial consideration in exchange for his/her representational duties or when a suitable member of the bar is available for representation in the matter, unencumbered by conflicts of interest or personal disputes.
- 2.12. Admission to the National Bar of Talossa.
- 2.12.1. The National Bar of Talossa shall be governed by the Uppermost Cort, which shall establish the procedure, ethics, and standards for those seeking admission to the National Bar of Talossa.
- 2.12.2. The National Bar of Talossa shall possess the sole authority to admit new individuals to practice law in the Corts of Talossa established under Article VIII of the Organic Law.
- 2.12.2.1. Admission to the Bar shall be limited to those who are eligible to vote in National Elections, and who satisfy any reasonable requirement set forth by the National Bar of Talossa.
- 2.12.2.2. The National Bar of Talossa shall set the standards, character, and other requirements for admission.
- 2.12.2.3. The National Bar of Talossa shall accept the application of any individual claiming to have satisfied the requirements for admission, and, if satisfied that the applicant does meet the criteria for admission after careful review and consideration, shall refer the applicant with supporting documentation to the Uppermost Cort for admission.
- 2.12.2.4. The Uppermost Cort of Talossan shall accept or deny all referred applications within a timely manner. An individual is not authorized to practice law until the Uppermost Cort of Talossa admits the application to the National Bar of Talossa, and an individual may not refer to themselves as “pending admission.”
- 2.12.3. An individual who has earned a degree in the practice of law in another country, or who has been admitted to practice law in another country, or who has completed one year of legal education as well as legal training in another country, may seek a waiver for admission to the National Bar of Talossa by petitioning the Uppermost Cort of Talossa for such a waiver, provided proof for the basis of waiver is attached to the petition. The Uppermost Cort may grant said waiver with no less than the consent of two Judges of the Uppermost Cort. The Uppermost Cort may increase the number of Judges required to give consent as it deems necessary but may only decrease the number to the statutory limits with the same number of Judges required to give consent.
- 2.12.4. It shall be a criminal offense for any person to knowingly or recklessly practice law in Talossa without express statutory permission.
- 2.12.4.1. The above provision is not applicable to an individual who represent themselves, known as pro se party, or to any individual who is a member of or has received authority by the Ministry of Justice to represent the Government in any Cort throughout Talossa.
- 2.12.4.2. The following office holders may, at the discretion of the Chancery, be exempt from the above requirements and shall be granted full membership to the bar while they hold such office, for the purpose of performing their official duties: the Prime Minister, the Distain, Judges of the Uppermost Cort, and Judges of any inferior Cort.
- 2.12.4.3. An Attorney General, as head of the Ministry of Justice, or Deputy Attorney General as authorized by the Ministry of Justice, who is not admitted to their bar in their own right, is a de facto and de jure member of the bar for the duration that they hold that office.
- 2.12.5. The National Bar of Talossa shall set, as it deems necessary, the Code of Conduct to govern attorneys.
- 2.12.5.1. An individual admitted may have their admission revoked for cause with the consent of no less than a majority of the Judges of the Uppermost Cort of Talossa; in such a circumstance, the individual is no longer permitted to practice law in the national courts of Talossa.
- 2.12.5.2. All members of the bar admitted prior to the adoption of this statute shall continue to be deemed automatically admitted and may continue to practice law
- 2.12.6. Any rules, regulations or code of conduct not set by a statute, Talossan Law or by the Organic Law, shall be a matter for the Bar to set itself as far as permissible by the aforementioned Laws.
3. Appeals and Tribunals.
- 3.1 It shall be understood that any provincial court decision may be appealed at the National level before the lowest inferior court and that any decision by this court may be appealed to the Uppermost Cort. No Cunstaval shall proclaim any new provincial constitution that fails to provide a right to appeal decisions of the provincial court or courts (if any) to the Cort pü Înalt or such other national courts as may be created by the Ziu. National courts shall not interpret or rule on matters of provincial law unless the province has no system of courts, has not proclaimed a constitution or has standing law that matters of provincial law be handled through National Courts. Rather, the decisions of these courts will ensure no provincial court decision runs contrary to the Organic or Statutory Laws of the Kingdom, and that the rights of all involves parties, as guaranteed by the Rights and Covenants of the Organic Law, are protected.
- 3.1.1 All appeals, as with other court actions, shall be filed with the Clerk of the Corts. Upon official judicial assignment, the cort may either dismiss the case, by declining to hear it, or begin hearing opening arguments in the matter as presented by all relevant parties.
- 3.1.2 Appeals or other actions brought before any national court shall be heard within 90 calendar days from the date of assignment by the Clerk of the Corts.
- 3.1.3. The court, if it decides not to hear the case or appeal, shall issue a written statement justifying its decision within the time frame given in 3.2.
- 3.1.4. If a court does not comply with 3.2. or 3.2.1., it may be subject to an investigation for non-feasance conducted by the Ministry of Justice.
- 3.2. Under the principle of reformatio in peius, the worsening change of a verdict, no appellate court shall be allowed to change an appealed ruling in such a manner that would be disadvantageous to the petitioner.
- 3.2.1. In civil actions, appeals may be ruled in a detrimental manner to the appellant (reformationes in peius) only when both parties submit appeals.
- 3.2.2. In criminal procedures, reformationes in peius are forbidden whenever the appeal is lodged by the convict or in favour of the convict. In case of appeals from both parties, reformationes in peius detrimental to the convict shall be forbidden.
4. The Clerk of the Corts. The Clerk of the Corts shall be an apolitical position appointed by the reigning Monarch or the Cort pü Inalt upon recommendation of the Prime Minister and shall serve in the following capacities:
- 4.1. The Clerk shall receive and file actions brought by individuals or their representative attorneys and assign to each requested action a docket number.
- 4.2. The Clerk shall then assign the case to a tribunal in the lowest cort holding jurisdiction over the matter.
- 4.3. Judicial assignments shall be made at random. In cases where a clear conflict of interest should arise, the Clerk shall assign the case to the next jurist in that order.
- 4.4. The Clerk shall maintain a record of docket numbers and judicial assignments to be archived along with the final disposition of the case for ease of reference.
- 4.5. This file shall be available to any citizen for use in the preparation of legal strategy, the study of law or for any legitimate purpose.
- 4.6. Appeals shall be filed as separate actions and will be assigned new docket numbers but shall be archived together with the original action for ease of reference.
- 4.7. The Clerk shall acknowledge the receipt of any filing and shall, within 72 business hours of said acknowledgment, assign a docket number and make a judicial assignment.
- 4.7.1. In the event the Clerk fails to assign a case within the 72-hour window and such tardiness is result of one or more of the following conditions, the Clerk's absence shall be deemed excused and no further penalty should be pursued:
- 4.7.1.1. Active Military Service (In the Armed Forces of Talossa or an Allied Nation)
- 4.7.1.2. Birth or Death of an immediate family member
- 4.7.1.3. Marriage or Divorce
- 4.7.1.4. Any circumstance which is beyond the power or control of the Clerk and which would hinder a reasonable person from executing these duties
- 4.7.2. In the event the Clerk anticipates a length absence, even for an excused purpose, they should consider resignation to ensure the people are adequately served.
- 4.7.3. If the Clerk of the Corts fails to assign cases within the 72-hour window without an excuse as defined in El. Lex. G.4.7.1, and such failure to act exceeds 60 days, the office of the Clerk of the Corts is deemed vacant.
- 4.8. The individual holding the office of Clerk of the Corts shall enjoy immunity from civil or criminal suit for any actions performed in the course of his or her official duties while holding this office. This immunity shall be lost upon leaving office. Due to the nature of the Clerk's responsibilities, an individual may not hold the office of Clerk of the Corts, or any deputy thereunder, while simultaneously holding office as a Justice of the Uppermost Cort or any national inferior court.
- 4.9. The Clerk of the Corts serves at the pleasure of the King and the Cort pü Inalt and may be dismissed by royal decree. In the case of alleged misconduct, the Clerk of the Corts may be removed from office by Prime Dictate. The Cort pü Inalt shall have final say over the dismissal of the Clerk of the Cort in situations of conflict with either the Crown or the Prime Minister.
- 4.10. Any individual who shall be found to have accepted bribe or other gratuities for the purposes of manipulating the assignment of jurists shall be guilty of public corruption of an officer of the Cort, a felony, and shall suffer a punishment to be determined by the court.
5. Court Officers. The Clerk or the Senior Judge of the Cort pü Inalt may deputize Court Officers to assist in the execution of these duties. Such deputization shall be made publicly by the Clerk or the Senior Judge and may be for a temporary term or an indefinite term, which the Clerk or Senior Judge shall stipulate in the public notice of deputization.
- 5.1. The Deputized Officer shall have authority to assign judicial cases immediately after the initial 72 hours have passed from the initial filing if the Clerk fails to make the assignment during that time period.
- 5.2. The Deputized Officer shall follow the procedures set forth in this title with regards to the assignment of cases and shall do so impartially without regard for political, personal, or financial consideration.
- 5.3. The Officer shall serve at the pleasure of the King and Cort pü Inalt, may be removed by the King or Cort pü Inalt at any time. The Cort pü Inalt shall have final decision authority on removal in circumstance of conflict between it and the Crown on removal. However, the principal supervision of the Officer shall fall to the Clerk of the Corts, who shall retain the right to dismiss the Officer as well.
- 5.4. Due to the nature of these duties, no deputy shall be appointed who is seated on the bench of the Uppermost Cort or any inferior cort. Nor shall any appointee hold the portfolio of Attorney General or Minister of Justice.
- 5.5. The Deputy shall be permitted to make the initial judicial assignment (that is, the assignment within the initial 72-hour window) in situations where the Clerk is party to a filed case or where another conflict of interest would prevent the Clerk from serving on a particular case filing.
6. Criminal Law: In the interest of providing the accused with the rights granted to them by the Ninth Covenant of Rights and Freedoms, the following rights shall be considered to be inalienable and shall be afforded to all citizens in civilian trials:
- 6.1. The Ministry of Justice, on behalf of the Crown, shall submit a charging instrument to the Clerk of the Cort identifying, in plain language, the charge to be brought against the accuse, and the factual allegations to be proven to support said charges. Nothing in this section shall limit the Ministry of Justice from relying on unpleaded allegations provided such does not prejudice the accused.
- 6.2. Upon receipt of the charging instrument, the Clerk of the Cort shall refer the matter to the appropriate tribunal of the Crown as defined by law.
- 6.3. The tribunal of the Crown shall test the sufficiency by making a prima facie determination that if the factual allegations contained therein were proven true beyond a reasonable doubt, then the accused would be guilty of the crime as alleged. Jeopardy shall only attach if the tribunal of the Crown accepts the charging instrument as sufficient. If the tribunal is not satisfied of such, then it shall reject the charging instrument as insufficient on its face and jeopardy shall not have attached.
- 6.4. The accused must be informed of the charges against him by the Crown within seven days of said charges being accepted by the Tribunal of the Crown.
- 6.5. Such notification must be submitted to the accused in writing, by either an electronic medium such as email, a typed letter, or by a handwritten letter. A copy of every such notice shall be archived in the Royal Archives by the Royal Archivist immediately after he receives a copy of said notice. If the notice is given in the form of a hand-written letter, the Royal Archivist shall make a copy of the letter in an electronic format, such that it may be added to the Royal Archives.
- 6.6 Preliminary Hearings
- 6.6.1. A preliminary examination is a hearing before a court for the purpose of determining if there is probable cause to believe a felony or a serious misdemeanour has been committed by the defendant.
- 6.6.2. The preliminary examination shall be commenced within 30 days after the receipt by a Cort of a charging instrument alleging a felony or serious misdemeanour, as described in El Lexhatx G.6.2.
- 6.6.3. A plea shall not be accepted in any case in which a preliminary examination is required until the defendant has been bound over following preliminary examination or waiver thereof.
- 6.6.4. The defendant, or their Public Defender, may cross-examine witnesses against the defendant, and may call witnesses on the defendant's own behalf who then are subject to cross-examination.
- 6.6.5. If the court finds probable cause to believe that a felony or serious misdemeanour has been committed by the defendant, it shall bind the defendant over for trial.
- 6.6.6. If the court finds that it is probable that only a misdemeanour has been committed by the defendant, it shall amend the complaint to conform to the evidence. The action shall then proceed as though it had originated as a misdemeanour action.
- 6.6.7. If the court does not find probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed by the defendant, it shall order the defendant discharged forthwith.
- 6.7. The Prosecution shall have up to 90 days from the time of notification of the accused in which to prepare its case for trial. If a case is not prepared by the Prosecution within the allotted time, then the matter shall be dismissed, unless the Prosecution can show that such delay is through the fault of the accused.
- 6.8. If a case is not prepared within the 90-day limit, then the Prosecution may request up to an additional 30 days to prepare its case, which shall be granted or denied by the tribunal assigned to the case. This section takes precedence over G.1.6.
- 6.9. The decision shall be based on the legitimacy of reasons given by the Prosecution in the interests of justice, equity, and efficiency.
- 6.10. If a matter is dismissed for failure to prosecute, then final jeopardy shall attach unless the Prosecution is able to provide new evidence against the accused with which to build a case. A new case must meet the same statute of limitations for any offence.
- 6.11. The Prosecution may withdraw a charging instrument upon good cause shown to which jeopardy shall not attach. (56RZ3)
7. The Statute of Limitations.
The Statute of Limitations on all offences shall be 36 months from the date the offence occurred for all criminal matters, or 36 months from the date that the injury party should have known of the offence in all civil matters. If the injury party is less than 14 years of age or without sound mind of body at the time of discovery, this period shall be tolled for no more than 12 months running from their 14th birthday or when deemed competent.
- 7.1. This statute of limitations shall not apply to:
- 7.1.1. any action for which a period of limitation is fixed by any other limitation enactment;
- 7.1.2. fraud upon the court, which for the purpose of this title shall be defined as: (i) to embrace that species of fraud which does, or (ii) attempts to, defile the court itself, or is a fraud perpetrated by officers of the court so that the judicial machinery cannot perform in the usual manner its impartial task of adjudging cases that are presented for adjudication.
- 7.1.3. war crimes as they are defined in the Charter of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal of 8 August 1945
- 7.1.4. crimes against humanity, whether committed in time of war or in time of peace, as defined in the Charter of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal of 8 August 1945, eviction by armed attack or occupation, inhuman acts resulting from the policy of apartheid, and the crime of genocide as defined in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
- 7.2. If any person commits a series of criminal acts sharing a common nexus, the period of limitation shall begin to run from the date of the last act in the series.
- 7.3. Nothing in this title shall revive any action for which the statute of limitations has accrued or affect any action commenced before the date this title came into force.
8. Wrongful prosecution.
Wrongful prosecution consists of prosecution characterised by malice, damage, and absence of probable cause. In the event that a person is wrongfully prosecuted, the person may initiate a Malicious Prosecution suit against the person who wrongfully prosecuted them.
- 8.1. A Malicious Prosecution suit may be initiated if either:
- 8.1.1. The person prosecuted is acquitted; or
- 8.1.2. The Tribunal has rejected the charming instrument as facially insufficient on the basis that if all allegations were accepted as true, the individual would not be guilty of the purported crime.
- 8.2. To prevail, it must be shown by a preponderance of the evidence that:
- 8.2.1. the Prosecutor acted with malice in bringing the charge; or
- 8.2.2. the Prosecutor commenced the proceeding for the sole purpose to harass the individual with knowledge that charging instrument did not have a basis in law; and
- 8.2.3. the charging instrument patently lacked probable cause; and
- 8.2.4. the plaintiff sustained damage through injury to reputation, deprivation of liberty or property, or other damage that may be assessed and relevant in the context of that matter.
- 8.3. The Cort shall award punitive damages to dissuade such further conduct.
9. Ex Parte Communication
- 9.1. A member of the bar shall not initiate ex parte communications, or other communications made to a judge outside the presence of the parties or their lawyers, concerning a pending or impending matter, except as follows:
- 9.1.1. When circumstances require it, ex parte communication for scheduling, administrative, expert testimony, or emergency purposes, which does not address substantive matters, is permitted, provided:
- 9.1.1.1. the member of the bar reasonably believes that no party will gain a procedural, substantive, or tactical advantage as a result of the ex parte communication; and
- 9.1.1.2. the member of the bar makes provision promptly to notify all other parties of the substance of the ex parte communication, and gives the parties an opportunity to respond.
- 9.2. If a member of the bar inadvertently initiates or receives an unauthorized ex parte communication bearing upon the substance of a matter, the member of the bar shall make provision promptly to notify all the parties of the substance of the communication and provide the parties with an opportunity to respond.
- 9.3. A member of the bar shall make reasonable efforts, including providing appropriate supervision, to ensure that these provisions against ex parte communications are not violated by others subject to the member of the bar's direction or control.
10. Service in General.
- 10.1. The Secretary of State shall accept service of any complaints or claims to the Cort pü Inalt or General Cort of Talossa on behalf of all citizens. The Secretary of State shall email notice of said complaints or claims to the concerned citizen and affirm to the Cort that they did so on that date (the "date of service").
- 10.1.1 If either party in a case before the Cort fails to respond to such a notice as specified in section 10.1.1 within 60 days of the date of service, the Cort may, upon a motion by the adverse party, enter default judgement against the non-appearing party. Default judgment can only be entered for a period of three months after default. A default order may be vacated, upon good cause shown, within three months after it was entered, by motion of the aggrieved party.
- 10.2. In all civil matters, if a Judge or Magistrate fails to respond to the assignment of a Case by the Clerk of the Corts within 14 days, then the Clerk of the Corts shall assign the case to another Judge or Magistrate and inform the Seneschal of the failure to appear.
- 10.3. A Judge or Magistrate may request a matter be transferred to another Judge or Magistrate for any reason. If that request be for any other purpose than a conflict of interest, and the Judge has not presided over any substantive part of the proceeding as a Magistrate, they shall be from the proscription enumerated in section 10.2.4 of this article.
- 10.4. If a Magistrate fails to address a filing from either party within 14 days of receipt, then the Clerk of the Corts shall inquire as to the status of the Magistrate and may appropriately reassign the matter to another Judge if warranted. If a Magistrate fails to respond to a Clerk’s inquiry within 14 days, the Clerk shall reassign the matter and inform the Seneschal of the Magistrate's failure to appear.
- 10.5 All criminal matters shall, pursuant to the Ninth Covenant, be heard before a Tribunal of the Crown, which shall be compromised of no less than three Magistrates in the General Cort of Talossa. A determination by the General Cort to dismiss a charging instrument for facial insufficiency shall be immediately appealable to the Uppermost Cort of Talossa.
11. Judicial Tenure. Judges of the Uppermost Cort and of any inferior court may retire through voluntary leave of office. This shall be accomplished through submitting a letter of retirement to the King. The retirement shall take effect immediately upon confirmed receipt by the King or an authorized representative.
- 11.1. Uppermost Cort Judges may be compelled to retire through organic removal from office through an act of the Ziu in accordance with Article VIII of the Organic Law. In accordance with the appropriate section, the inactivity of a Justice is defined as the failure of that Justice to act, rule, or appear in an open case the Justice is assigned to or participating in for more than 60 days, as certified by the Ziu in a majority vote.
- 11.1.1 A Justice of the Cort pü Inalt shall be declared inactive, and to have vacated their seat, within the meaning of Organic Law VIII, if the Clerk of the Corts, contacting the members of the CpI to assign a case as described in this title, is unable to contact that Justice or does not receive any response to their enquiries, within 30 days.
- 11.2. Retired Judges or Magistrates shall enjoy the style "Honourable Mister/Madame" for life in commemoration of their service to the Nation, and may utilize the title "Retired Judge/Magistrate."
- 11.3. Retired status will be honorary in nature and shall not confer any authority or responsibility within any Talossan Court or the National Talossan Bar or over its members, students or associates. Neither shall these titles, in and of themselves, confer membership in the National Talossan Bar enabling the holder to engage in the practice of law.
- 11.4. Retired status can be revoked only in the event of a conviction by a Talossan Court for misconduct while serving in a judicial capacity. In the event of such conviction, revocation of retirement privileges shall be contained as part of the sentencing order. Retired status can also be revoked by the Ziu through majority vote, without needing to go through committee, and approval by the Monarch. Such legislative action can be taken only after the retiree has been convicted by a Talossan Court for misconduct while serving in a judicial capacity and only after all appeals have been exhausted. (56RZ4)
- 11.5. Retired status will also be revoked in the event the retiree shall be convicted of a felony by any Court of the Realm. Felony convictions by a provincial court shall be forwarded to the Minister of Justice for review. If cause for revocation of retirement status is found based upon the nature of the conviction, the Minister of Justice shall propose or cause to be proposed a measure of the Ziu to revoke any and all privileges of retirement from the accused, after all appeals have been exhausted.
- 11.6. Retired status shall be considered waived if a retired Justice, Judge or Magistrate resigns their citizenship and shall be considered revoked if the retiree has their citizenship terminated by a Court of the Realm.
- 11.7 Every person appointed a judge to the Uppermost Cort of Talossa shall publicly make to the Citizens of Talossa and subscribe to the following declaration within 10 days of such appointment:
I, [NAME], do solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that I will duly, faithfully and to the best of my knowledge and ability execute the office of Judge of El Cort pü Inalt without fear or favour, affection or ill will towards any man, woman or child and that I will uphold the Organic Law and the laws of the Kingdom of Talossa. This I do solemnly affirm.
12. Judicial Decisions
- 12.1. Every cort rendering a decision shall set forth the reasoning for that decision. This declaration must be published in the next Clark. Cort decisions will be written up in the Clark if the authors want them to, with due regard to brevity.
- 12.2. All final decisions or those interlocutory orders must be codified in an official reporter.
- 12.3. The Cort pü Inalt may request that the Government or Scribe maintain official reporters of decisions on behalf of all Talossan Corts, or it may direct the Clerk of the Corts to do so on its behalf.
- 12.3.1. If the Cort pü Inalt shall request the Government or Scribe to maintain official reporters, then the Cort pü Inalt must designate, in the decision, whether it shall be deemed binding, and if so, it shall be reported in an official reporter entitled "Cort pü Inalt" and abbreviated to "CPI" in citations. All decisions of the Cort pü Inalt designated nonbinding shall be reported in an official reporter entitled "Cort pü Inalt Appendix" and abbreviated to "CPIA" in citations.
- 12.3.2. All final determinations of the General Cort shall be published in an official reporter entitled "General Cort" and abbreviated to "GC" by the Scribe or an individual designated by the Government in the same fashion as described in G.12.1.3.1. Non-final or interlocutory determinations that impact the rights of a party must also be reported in the GC reporter. All other determinations need not be reported in the GC reported unless so designated by the General Cort. Determinations not contained in the GC reporter shall be styled as General Cort Slip Opinions and must be made publicly available on a State-run website in consecutive order by date with an affixed number with an appropriate pin cite every 200 words, for ease of reference, that shall be listed as follows: Case Name, Year GC Slip Op NUMBER, *Pin (Full Date, Magistrate's surname, M.) (e.g. Doe v Smith, 2020 GC Slip Op 001, *1 [27 February 2020, Smith, M.]).
- 12.3.3. If the Scribe or the appointed Government Ministry determines any aforementioned volume becomes lengthy, a subsequent volume shall be created with the appropriate cardinal prefixed prior to the reporter.
- 12.3.4. The Cort pü Inalt may direct the Clerk of the Corts to normalize case captions according to rules it may set forth, which shall then be used in any reporter.
- 12.3.5. The Cort pü Inalt may publish an official style manual enumerating proper citations for any source, which shall be followed by all parties filing documents with any national Talossan cort.
H. Legislation
1.1 Following each General Election there shall be an official “State Opening of the Ziu”. At the start of the State Opening, the new Seneschal shall be sworn to the office publicly. The Sovereign shall then deliver a speech outlining the Government's legislative agenda and program for the term. The contents of this speech shall be communicated to the Sovereign by the incoming Seneschal prior to the ceremony. The Seneschal may announce Cabinet Ministers during the ceremony. A rebuttal by the Leader of the Opposition shall follow, which may be followed by a further rebuttal by the leader of the third largest party. When practical, the State Opening may include an official Living Cosă (and 'Living Senats') in which food and drink shall be featured and as many Talossans as possible shall be invited to attend. The event shall be organized and conducted by the Speakers of both Houses of the Ziu, working in coordination and cooperation with each other. (55RZ15, 54RZ18, 49RZ22, 15RC9, 50PD01, 53RZ22)
1.2 The Seneschál shall be sworn in by reciting the historic Oath of Office in the Talossan language, if possible in the presence of a copy of the historic book, The Loom of Language. He shall raise his right hand and take the Oath verbally in the presence of the King or a member of the Uppermost Cort, either in person or over the phone. In place of reciting the entire Oath he may simply affirm by the word 'üc' his intention to abide by its terms. The historic Oath of Office is as follows:
:"Eu afirm, solenâmînt, që eu, [nôminâ], cün fidálità, rompliarhéu l'ôifisch da Sieu Maxhestà së Seneschál del Regipäts Talossán, és zefençarhéu, àl miglhôr da v'aválità, la sigürità del Estat Talossán. Så viva el Regeu!" (Translation: I do solemnly affirm that I, [name], will faithfully execute the office of His Majesty's First Minister of the Kingdom of Talossa, and will to the best of my ability defend the integrity of the Talossan State. Long live the King!)
2. The Cosă authorises a question and answer period during Living Cosăs. This will be called “Terpelaziuns” ('enquiries') or, for short, “Terps”, or “Question Time”. During Terpelaziuns, each MC may ask any other MC one question (plus a follow-up), and expect to receive some sort of answer. The Opposition Leader shall put the first question. Questions shall alternate between Government and Opposition members until all MCs on one side or the other have spoken. The remaining MCs may then put questions. Questions will be politely phrased in the third person and directed at the Speaker. Order of Questioners will be determined on an ad hoc basis by the Speaker. (14RC9 50PD01)
- 2.1. Any Member of the Cosă (MC) or Senator may at any time between the First and Last Clark of a Cosă Term, table in “The Ziu” board on Witt, or its equivalent, a “c (PQ)” or “Terp” in a new thread or its equivalent. (44RZ1 50PD01)
- 2.2. The PQ or Terp may ask one question to a named Member of the Government relating to Public Affairs connected with their Ministry or on matters of administration for which they are officially responsible. (50PD01)
- 2.3. There is no limit to the number of PQs or Terps a MC or Senator may submit in any given Clark. (50PD01)
- 2.4. Any PQ or Terp that is submitted by a MC or Senator in accordance with the provisions of H.2, must be answered by the named Minister within seven (7) days of the question being tabled. Should the Minister be unavailable to answer the question within the seven (7) days, the question shall be redirected to the Prime Minister or his/her appointed Deputy who shall be granted a further seven (7) days to answer the aforementioned question. With the agreement of the questioner, there may be a extension of seven (7) days on top of this period. However, the period from the asking of the question to the answering of the question, shall in no circumstances exceed twenty one (21) days. (50PD01)
- 2.5. For the purpose of H.2.4, “unavailable” means being unable to access Witt, or its equivalent, for an acceptable and reasonable reason. Having logged into, or visited Witt, or its equivalent, during the seven day period, and having not seen, or ignored the PQ or Terp, shall not constitute being unavailable. (c) This provision shall not apply PQs or Terps, which refer to matters of Security or Defence of His Majesty’s Realm and/or any project(s), correspondence, or activities, in which the Government has deemed, and classified as confidential, or which in its release may damage the Kingdom in any shape or form. Such questions may not be answered by any Minister. (50PD01)
- 2.6. The Minister must answer the question in the same thread or its equivalent as the original question and the questioner may ask a reasonable number of supplementary questions (as determined by the presiding officer), in which the provisions of H.2 apply, with the seven days starting from the date each supplementary question is asked. (50PD01) (53RZ15)
- 2.7. Failure to answer a question within the given timeframe shall constitute an offence, and a Minister, if found guilty of such a offence, will be subject to a punishment at the discretion of the Courts. (50PD01)
- 2.8. It shall be a defence to the Minister if the questioner, notwithstanding any other legitimate defences, did not, or failed to: (48RZ36) (50PD01)
- 2.8.1. correctly title his/her question (50PD01)
- 2.8.2. ask a clear question. E.g. an ambiguous question, in which the Minister tried to clarify, but failed to do so in the time frame, and did not subsequently answer. (50PD01)
- 2.8.3. post his/her question in the correct board (50PD01)
- 2.8.4. engage with the Minister in trying to answer his/her question (50PD01)
- 2.8.5. direct the question to one named Minister. (50PD01)
3. Members of the Cosa and Senators shall vote on the Clark and any other business for themselves; but Members of the Cosa that might be unavailable to vote during any particular month may inform the Chancery that they wish to vote exactly as another specific Member of the Cosa. Each House may estabilish their own rules for proxy voting, but solely for the purpose of Living Cosas and the Senate equivalent. (6RC30 16RC11) (50PD01) (54RZ1)
- 3.1. A person who is named as a Proxy Vote for another in a Living Cosă is under the moral and legal obligation, whenever possible, to represent the original seat-holder's wishes and intentions on specific Ziu bills and the Vote of Confidence, whenever and however he is instructed, or publicly notified to do so. (24RZ44) (50PD01)
4. On each Clark, the Vote of Confidence shall read as follows: "Do you wish the current Government to continue in its term of office?" [46]
5. A difference shall exist (and be spelled out in future bills) between committees (which are set up as standing committees, free to issue reports at any time) and Royal Commissions (or Commissions Royal) which are set up on an ad hoc basis and charged with a specific one-time task such as preparing a dossier or White Paper on a specific problem, and presenting the same to the Cosă. Once a Commission's paper is done, the Commission has fulfilled its duty, and ceases to exist. (8RC35) (50PD01)
6. No bill may be published in a Clark unless it has passed the Hopper, as provided in this section.
- 6.1. All citizens of Talossa are entitled to participate fully in discussions and debates in the Hopper, within the bounds of law and of the decisions of the administering and presiding authorities of the Hopper. Any citizen may submit a draft of legislation to the Hopper, though these shall not be considered to be "legislative proposals" until sponsored by one or more individuals authorised to submit legislative proposals under Organic Law VII.5.
- 6.2 A bill has passed the hopper if it has spent at least 10 days in the Hopper, and is exclusively limited to the following:
- 6.2.1 Non-binding proclamations that have no effect other than express the wish of the Cosa, Senate, or Ziu as a whole, in which case the bill must contain the words “Sense of the Cosa”, “Sense of the Senate” or “Sense of the Ziu” in its title.
- 6.2.2. Proclamations that establish the position of the Ziu on a foreign policy issue.
- 6.2.3. Establishment of a committee that has no powers other than advisory powers and whose recommendations must still be approved by the Ziu in order to be binding and making appointments to such a committee.
- 6.2.4. Appointments to functions that are already defined in law and for which the Ziu is explicitly allowed to make appointments according to law.
- 6.2.5. Any decision which the law explicitly allows the Ziu to make without the bill containing such a decision having to go through committee.
- 6.2.6 Removing a regent or consenting to the re-appointment of a regent in accordance with Org.II.5
- 6.2.7 Revoking a Prime Dictate
- 6.2.8 Notices of reprimand in accordance with Org.VIII.5
- 6.2.9. The granting or restoration of citizenship
- 6.3. A bill has passed the hopper if it has spent at least 10 days in the Hopper and at least half of the Senators and 2/3 of Cosă seats express their support in the Hopper for clarking the bill.
- 6.4. After a legislative proposal has spent at least 10 days in the Hopper, its proposer may request that it “move to committee”. No bill may be Clarked without being "moved to committee", except as provided by Lex.H.6.2 or Lex.H.6.3.
- 6.5. A Legislative Advisory Committee of Talossa (in Talossan, el Comità da Redacziun Legislatïu; and hereinafter, "the CRL") shall review or revise all legislative items from the Hopper once they have moved to committee; and may recommend acceptance or rejection, or suggest amendments in their best judgment.
- 6.5.1 The CRL shall conduct all its deliberations openly in the Hopper.
- 6.5.2 The CRL shall consist of the incumbent Mençéi, Túischac'h, and Avocat-Xheneral.
- 6.5.3. The CRL may create further committees to which their functions may be delegated, as concerns any bill or category of bills. Such a committee must have at least 3 members, including at least 1 MC and at least 1 Senator.
- 6.6. After the CRL has given its recommendation, or if it gives no recommendation within 30 days of the bill having passed to committee, the bill has passed the hopper and the sponsor of the bill may ask for it to be Clarked, with or without amendments.
- 6.6.1 The same bill can not be submitted to the Clark more than once in the same Cosa, unless the original bill was vetoed, the original bill had been retired or voted down by its main sponsor during the voting period, or the bill has been substantially amended, as judged by the Secretary of State.
- 6.6.2. Bills must be submitted to the Secretary of State more than 24 hours before the publication of the Clark. Bills received less than 24 hours before publication of the Clark shall be published in the next Clark or postponed for one Clark, at the Secretary of State's discretion.
- 6.7. The Secretary of State is empowered to refuse to put a certain bill on a Clark if said bill;
- 6.7.1. appears to him to be obviously on its face inorganic, or to have such grave errors as would make it ineffective and/or require further legislation or a Prime Dictate to make it effective.
- 6.7.2. does not specify exactly the Law(s) or Article(s) which it seeks to amend, change, or repeal, if the bill seeks to amend, change, or repeal any Article of the Organic Law or any Law
- 6.7.3. is not clearly typed or word-processed; and/or
- 6.7.4. is so substantially different from its form as a legislative proposal when “passed to committee” that it constitutes a significantly different proposal.
- 6.7.5. has not passed the hopper or is deemed by the sponsor to have passed the hopper in accordance with Lex.H.6.2. but is in the judgement of the Secretary of State not limited exclusively limited to the items listed in Lex.H.6.2.
- 6.7.6. Any such decision shall be subject to judicial review.
- 6.8. All bills submitted for the Clark shall be in one of the national languages.
- 6.9. The Secretary of State shall remove legislative proposals from “The Hopper” at the request of the author. 6.9.1 If a legislative proposal has remained in the “The Hopper” for more than 59 days, it shall be considered to have been removed, though any person entitled to do so may subsequently re-publish it.
- 6.10. Notwithstanding the rules about a bill’s eligibility to be Clarked, if no bill was submitted to the Clark at the moment of publication, the Secretary of State shall be allowed to add to the Clark a simple bill asking for Quorum where Cosa Members and Senators can vote to confirm their presence for the Clark.
- 6.11. The Secretary of State is under no obligation to create a permanent record of legislative proposals in “The Hopper.”(55RZ18) (56RZ4)
7. A legislative proposal should be followed by the words “Uréu q'estadra så” (or “Proposed by”), and the name of the author, and the capacity in which the author is offering the proposal. A legislative proposal may be submitted by multiple sponsors, but the legislator whose name is listed first after the words “Uréu q'estadra så” (or “Proposed by”) is considered the author of the legislative proposal. (50PD01)
- 7.1. Official non-Ziu titles may also be used when a member of the Ziu submit a bill, if the submitter feels that he is submitting a bill in another capacity than as a Ziu member. Such a title shall be called a “Limousine”, or by its Talossan equivalent. A title of Senator, Distain or Member of the Cosă is a Ziu title, and as such not a Limousine. A person can only be entitled to a Limousine if he is both a member of the Ziu and holds an official title. A Limousine may contain, but is not restricted to: a governor's title, a minister or deputy minister's title, or a title conferred by a national organisation, such as the CÚG, or the Secretary of State's office. This is not a means to allow non-members of the Ziu to post bills using their Limousine, nor does this provision allow any submitter to use unofficial titles or party-specific titles. (32RZ13) (50PD01)
- 7.2. The use of a Limousine instead of a Ziu title engages that person in that capacity. For example, a bill submitted by a Cosă member as being “Minister of Culture” indicates that the bill is truly submitted in the name of the Minister of Culture. (50PD01)
8. If the Prime Minister, or a member of the Government party, proposes a bill, and with the Prime Minister's permission marks it as a Government Bill, the Clark will denote this as a bill proposed by “HM Government, represented by”, before the name of the member. If the Opposition Leader, or a member of the Opposition, proposes a bill, and, with the Opposition Leader's or the member's Party Leader's permission, marks it as an Opposition Bill, the Clark will denote this as a bill proposed by “HM Loyal Opposition, represented by”, followed by the member's name. Any other bill will be called a Private Member's Bill, and will be denoted in the Clark the same way they have always been. (25RZ31) (50PD01)
9. Members of Cosa shall be free to represent any constituency within the geographic boundaries of the Kingdom of Talossa including any and all of its territories and overseas colonies. Any Member wishing to represent a constituency shall publicly declare such representation before the conclusion of the first Clark following a General Election. (44RZ25 48RZ3) (50PD01)
10. Except in cases where the current Secretary of State is no longer able or eligible to perform his duties, any nominations of a new secretary of state must take effect on the day of the normal publication of a Clark. If the normally scheduled Clark is not published by the previous Secretary of State on the appropriate day, the new Secretary of State can still start his duties, starting with the publication of the Clark. (32RZ2) (50PD01)
11. No person shall hold more seats in the Cosă than ten times the total number of seats in the Cosă divided by the number of ballots cast for the Cosa in the most recent General Election, rounded up to the next integer. (50PD01)
12. His Majesty, when affixing His Royal Seal to Bills sent to him by the Ziu, may exclaim with all His Royal Royal-ness in the National Language of Our Nation, “El Regeu en volt.” (25RZ17) (50PD01)
13. His Majesty, when acting out His constitutional and traditional duty to protect the Citizens of His Kingdom from poor Government, decides to withhold His Royal Seal from said Bill sent by said Ziu, may exclaim with all His Truth-and-Justice-ness in said National Language of said Kingdom, “El Regeu non en volt.” (50PD01)
14. The King shall sign a physical printed copy of bills at the time they pass into law, and collect these bills for posterity. (50PD01)
15. [This section blank per 53RZ29 ]
16. [This section blank per 53RZ29 ]
17. The Senate shall autonomously determine the rules of its proceedings. To this goal, the Mençei shall mantain a body of Standing Rules of the Senate. (51RZ16
- 17.1 At the beginning of a new term, and optionally at any subsequent time during a term, the Senate shall consider a motion to estabilish a Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Upon successful passage, any previously estabilished Committee shall disband and a new one be formed; upon failure, a Committee shall not be formed. (51RZ16)
- 17.1.1 Regardless, any previous iteration of the Committee shall disband at the beginning of a new term of the Senate, as defined by the publication by the Chancery and/or the respective provincial conducting officers of final results for all of the seats up for elections, or the beginning of a First Clark, whichever comes first. (51RZ16)
- 17.1.2 Upon disbandment, a Committee shall not be allowed to complete debate on any proposal, but shall be empowered to complete any voting that already was in progress by the time the disbandment was effective. (51RZ16)
- 17.2 The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration shall be formed by three Senators, appointed by the Mençei. The Senate shall be empowered to object to the appointments by passing a motion to suggest an alternate composition; successful passage shall override the Mençei's appointments with the Senate's suggestion. (51RZ16)
- 17.3 The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration shall be chaired by the Mençei, but unless him- or herself was appointed to the Commitee, the Mençei shall not be considered a member of the Committee. (51RZ16)
- 17.4 Any member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the Mençei, shall be empowered to submit to the Committee proposals regarding the estabilishment of a new Standing Rule, or the amendment or deletion of any of the preexisting Standing Rules of the Senate. After due debate, the Committee shall vote on the proposal, and the proposal shall be considered to be adopted by majority vote. Unless he/she is a member of the Committee, the Mençei shall only vote to break a tie, in the event that at least one of the three members abstained or did not vote by the end of the allotted voting time. (51RZ16)
- 17.5 The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration's proceedings shall be public; and the Mençei shall not deny a Senator's request to speak and be heard in front of the Committee. Additionally, any Senator shall place a proposal for the Committee's consideration, and upon endorsement of the proposal by any member of the Committee, or the Mençei, said proposal shall be debated and voted on as described in 21.4. (51RZ16)
- 17.6 Any proposal that has been adopted by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration shall be referred to the whole Senate for approval. The Senate shall then vote to uphold the proposal by majority vote; upon successful passage, the proposal shall take effect. Should the Senate instead reject the proposal, it shall return to the Committee's consideration for amendments, or be discarded at the original proposer's discretion. (51RZ16)
- 17.7 No Standing Rule shall infringe on any Organic or Statutory provision, and Standing Rules shall be germane to the Senate's operations. (51RZ16)
- 17.8 The Senate shall be empowered to waive any Standing Rule for the remainder of the current term by majority vote, without consulting the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. (51RZ16)
- 17.9 At any time a vacancy in the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration arises, the Mençei shall be empowered to appoint another Senator to the empty seat. The Senate shall be empowered to object to the appointment by passing a motion to suggest an alternate Senator; successful passage shall override the Mençei's appointment with the Senate's suggestion. (51RZ16)
- 17.9.1 Should a Senator resign or be expelled from the Committee, resign, strike out or be expelled from the Senate, the member will still be empowered to cast his or her vote in any Committee votes that are currently open, but not any that are initiated after the notice of resignation or expulsion is published. (51RZ16)
- 17.9.2 Failure to stand for reelection to the Senate shall not impede a member of the Committee from taking part in any of the Committee's activities prior to disbandment as per 21.1.1 and 21.1.2. (51RZ16)
- 17.9.3 Failure of a member of the Committee who is standing for reelection to the Senate to win his race, according to any provisional results, shall not impede said member of the Committee from taking part in any of the Committee's activities prior to disbandment as per 21.1.1 and 21.1.2. (51RZ16)
- 17.10 At any time, due to inactivity, other impediments to normal activity or subsequently to an individual motion of censure, the Senate shall be empowered to remove any of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration's members, through a motion adopted by simple majority. (51RZ16)
18. Members of the Cosâ who (in a given session of the Cosa) have voted NON on the most recent Vote of Confidence, or intend to do so on the next Vote of Confidence, shall be known as El Contrapharti Fieir da Sieu Maxhestà, or "His Majesty's Loyal Opposition" in English, or in short "El Contrapharti / The Opposition". Unless and until the members of the Opposition decide otherwise by majority vote, the "Leader of the Opposition" shall be the leader of the party with the most Cosa seats assigned to MCs who voted NON on the last Vote of Confidence. (53RZ10)
19. After the close of Ziu business, the Secretary will make known to the press as soon as possible the results of the votes. (53RZ22)
- 19.1 PDs shall be published at the earliest possible opportunity in the next Clark (53RZ22)
20. The Cosa may hold living Cosas during subsequent Clarks by a vote of the Cosa naming the specific month in which the event is to take place. The exact date and location of the Living Cosâ shall be set by the Seneschál after consultation with all relevant parties. All members must receive two weeks notice of the date of the Living Cosâ. The Seneschál may, if events warrant, issue a PD authorizing a Living Cosâ in the following calendar month. Such a PD may be vetoed (in addition to normal means) by a formal protest to the Secretary of State by Members of the Cosâ comprising one-third or greater the number of elected seats in the Cosâ.
- 20.1 Members who cannot attend will not be denied the right to vote on that month's Clark. They may send their votes to the Secretary of State by any means feasible, so that they can be announced at the Living Cosâ. A member may, in writing, delegate his authority to vote (temporarily transfer his seats) to another person who can attend the Living Cosâ, but no individual may hold more than thirty seats, counting both proxy and permanently assigned seats, for purposes of the Living Cosâ. The Ziu may provide by law, without needing to go through committee, for quorum requirements, and for attendance via telephone, videoconference, or other remote means.
- 20.2 Votes presented to the Secretary of State after the Living Cosâ will not be counted in the final tally. The final tally of votes on all bills is taken at the end of the Living Cosâ.
- 20.3 New bills, or amendments, may not be presented at the Living Cosâ. No bill not published in the Clark may be debated. Clarks will be published on schedule as usual.
- 20.4 Senators shall be permitted to participate in Living Cosâ debates on the same terms as MCs, but may not delegate or exercise proxy votes. [47]
21. The Cosa shall elect the Túischac'h as follows. (54RZ21) repealing both (50PD01) (52RZ3) <ref>57PD10
- 21.1. At any time between the Election Deadline and the following Dissolution of the Cosa, any Member of the Cosa shall be empowered to publish and open for signatures a petition nominating an eligible person for the office of Túischac'h. (54RZ21) repealing both (50PD01) (52RZ3)
- 21.2. Once a petition is published, any eligible Member of the Cosa shall be empowered to second the nomination by countersigning the petition in public. (54RZ21) repealing both (50PD01) (52RZ3)
- 21.3. Members may not second multiple nominations concurrently; if a Member wishes to support a different petition, he/she shall first publicly retract the earlier countersignature. (54RZ21) repealing both (50PD01) (52RZ3)
- 21.4. Following any number of petitions, presented as above and supporting the same candidate, being signed or counter-signed by members currently representing an absolute majority of seats in the Cosa, the candidate named in the petition(s) shall be declared by the Secretary of State to be the Túischac'h. (54RZ21) repealing both (50PD01) (52RZ3)
- 21.5. Petitions may not be carried over from one vacancy in the office of Seneschal to Túischac'h. Once a Túischac'h is elected as above, all petitions shall be made moot. (54RZ21) repealing both (50PD01) (52RZ3)
I. Military
1. The Royal Talossan Navy shall be administered by the Admiral of the Fleet (RTN O-9 / NATO OF-10), appointed by the Monarch upon recommendation by the Minister of Defence or designated subordinate and approval by a majority vote in the Ziu. (55RZ14)
- 1.1. Each of the three Branches of the Navy (the Naval Corps, Marine Corps, and Air Corps) will be under the immediate direction of a Branch Chief; those being the Chief of Talossan Naval Operations (Admiral – RTN O-8 / NATO OF-9), Commandant of the Royal Talossan Marine Corps (General – RTMC O-8 / NATO OF-9), and Chief of the Royal Talossan Air Corps (Chief Marshal – RTAC O-8/NATO OF-9). Each are appointed by the Seneschal upon recommendation by the Minister of Defence or designated subordinate and approval by the Admiral of the Fleet.
- 1.2 The Admiral and the three Branch Chiefs compose the Navy Board and are charged with the day-to-day operations of the Bureau.
- 1.3 The Minister of Defence, in consultation with the Navy Board, shall promulgate a code of military regulations to be known as the Uniform Code of Military Organization or UCMO for the purpose of the organization, training and discipline of the Talossan Armed Forces. The UCMO shall reflect the professionalism of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Talossa as well as recognize the relations of our great nation’s place in retrospect to the other great nations and allied militaries of the world.
- 1.4 Private Adventurers in possession of royal letters of marque and reprisal shall be granted commissions as Officers of the Line in the reserve of the Royal Talossan Navy in inactive status. Private Adventurers shall be governed by the Office of Private Adventurers within the Navy and by the UCMO.
2. The Els Zuávs da l'Altahál Rexhitál (the Zouaves of the Royal Bodyguard) shall be led by El Capitán da l'Altahál (The Captain of the Guard).
- 2.1. Establishment of Official Improvised Weaponry. Bedposts are declared to be the "official preferred improvised weapon" of the Zouaves of the Royal Bodyguard. (38RZ18)
- 2.2. Military Use of Bedposts. The Zouaves of the Royal Bodyguard shall make use of bedposts for ceremonial and drill purposes. (49RZ20)
- 2.3. Cupped Bedposts. Bedposts used by the Zouaves of the Royal Bodyguard may have an indentation in the end of the bedpost up to one inch in depth and between one and two inches in diameter. The indentation must be curved with no foreign substances added. The bedpost, for not more than 18 inches from its end, may be covered or treated with any material or substance (such as pine tar) to improve the grip. No bedpost may be used for military purposes which is not a single piece of wood or which has been hollowed out and filled with cork or rubber.
- 2.4. Military Bedpost Regulation. Appropriate officers of the Guard shall be held responsible by the Ministry of Defence for establishing further regulations for the provisioning and use of said bedposts, such as specifying the size of the bedframe from which a bedpost issued to and maintained by service members at each military rank shall be taken, and specifying military exercises for the practice and display of proficiency and fluency in the use of the bedpost, for the purposes of both close-combat and the ceremonial fancy throwing the thing up and flipping it in circles and stuff before catching it with flair and shouldering it sharply, maybe even spinning around a time or two while it's in the air; you know, stuff like that. (47RZ8)
3. Talossa maintains a military in keeping with the tradition of all of history's greatest nations. The military is maintained in effort to provide our citizens a unique opportunity to serve the Kingdom in uniform while gaining access to both special training and social opportunities. As an internally focused service, the UTMF are not intended for offensive use and anyone who commits actual acts of violence in the name of Talossa will lose their citizenship (according to the will of the Cort pu Inalt). The Kingdom shall continue to represent and encourage peace between among all nations, Macro and Micro in nature.
J. Telecomuna
1. The Chancery shall be responsible for providing an official internet message board or forum, hosted on Talossa.com or another official website of the kingdom as described in Lexh. D.2.10 for the express use of the Civil Service, the Government, or provincial business. The Secretary of State or their designated representative within the Chancery shall make all reasonable effort to maintain and make available this board for all offices of the Civil Service, Government, or provinces that so request. The Secretary of State shall have ultimate discretion in the question of infrastructure, although they are highly advised to take the wishes of officials into account in their decision-making. Other boards shall be provided for socialization at the discretion of the Secretary of State or their designated representative. (53RZ17)
2. Each officeholder or head of agency shall be responsible for monitoring any boards provided for their use, and reporting any problems to the Chancery as needed. The Secretary of State or their designated representative(s) shall act to maintain a minimum level of acceptable behavior on these boards when such action is requested whensoever their own judgment directs that it is necessary. This behavior is not defined in specifics, but shall include generally treating others in a manner that respects Talossa as a community. (53RZ17)
3. This board shall include the necessary infrastructure to allow the Ziu to fulfill its functions, including proposing, debating, and considering bills and the posing of Terpelaziuns. This board will also provide a place for citizens to register their votes in elections. This board shall be known as "Wittenberg," and it will be considered the property of the nation as a whole. (53RZ17)
K. Territorial Subdivisions
1. The metropolitan territory of Talossa is subdivided into Cantons (els Cantons) and Provinces. Cantons are defined according to historical borders, but Provinces may, subject to approval by the Ziu, alter these borders, including to create new Cantons. Provinces may also establish such internal subdivisions as they find necessary or convenient for local government. The Canton is the smallest possible territorial subdivision which can be transferred from one Provincial jurisdiction to another. Pursuant to Article IX of the Organic Law, the following are the current Cantons of the Kingdom of Talossa, with their names in the national language followed by English variants (if any): , the following are the current Cantons of the Kingdom of Talossa, with their names in the national language followed by English variants (if any): (48RZ30) (53RZ22)
- 1.1. Abbavilla - boundaries are the National Boundaries to the north; the Talossan Sea to the east; a line drawn along E Kenwood Blvd between the River and the Sea, to the south; N Maryland Ave to the west.
- 1.2. Flúvia Montevúdio - boundaries are the National Boundaries to the north and west; a line drawn along E Kenwood Blvd between the River and the Sea, to the south; N Maryland Ave to the east.
- 1.3. Garibaldi - boundaries are the River to the West; a line drawn along E Park Place to the river, to the north; a line drawn along E North Avenue to the River, to the south; N Maryland Ave to the east; N Prospect Avenue in the south-east.
- 1.4. Mazzini - boundaries are the River to the west; the southern boundary of Flúvia Montevúdio, to the north; N Maryland Ave to the east; a line drawn along E Park Place to the River, to the south.
- 1.5. Zone Autorisée de Cézembre and Zone Interdite de Cézembre, separated by the so-called Line of Death as surveyed on 2 July 1986 and as depicted on page 27 of National Atlas of the Kingdom of Talossa by R. Ben Madison, 1994 (53RZ22 and previous legislation)
- 1.6 Cüféir / Cooper - boundaries are, clockwise from W: the River, E Juneau Ave, N Van Buren St, E Wisconsin St.
- 1.7. Las Înaltàns Maxhéstici / Majestic Heights - western and southern boundary is the River, eastern boundary is N Lincoln Memorial Boulevard. Northern boundary runs westward from the River along E Wisconsin St; N Prospect Ave; E Mason Ave.
- 1.8 Florencia - boundaries are, from extreme North-West: along E North Ave from the River to N Prospect Ave; thence along N Prospect Ave to E Lafayette Place; thence along E Lafayette Place to N Farwell Ave; thence along N Farwell Ave to E Brady St; thence from E Brady Street to N Warren Ave; thence along N Warren Ave until its intersection with E Boylston St; thence, a line due west to the River.
- 1.9 Sandadia/Prachelion - boundaries are the River, E Juneau Ave and N Van Buren St.
- 1.10 Taglheiria/Schneideria - boundaries are, clockwise from NE: the western boundary of Florenciâ; E Brady St; N Van Buren St to the River.
- 1.11 Zuerieiria/Murphysboro - boundaries are, clockwise from North: E Brady St; N Astor St; E Juneau Ave; N Van Buren St.
- 1.12 Ovestia/Wesernia - boundaries are clockwise from NW: E Brady St; N Farwell Ave; N Franklin Place; N Prospect Ave; E Juneau Ave; N Astor St.
- 1.13 Vilátx Fréiric / Frédéricville - northeast corner is the intersection of N Prospect Ave and E Juneau Ave. Thence, E Juneau Ave; N Van Buren St; E Wisconsin St; N Prospect Ave.
- 1.14 Maritiimi / Jahnhaven - Boundaries are, anti-clockwise from NE: the southern boundary of Dun Cestour; the eastern boundary of Florenciâ; the eastern boundary of Ovestia/Wesernia; the eastern boundary of Frédéricville as far as its intersection with E Mason Street; a line drawn along E Mason St to the Sea.
- 1.15 Port Maxhestic - Boundaries are the Sea to the east; the River to the south; N Lincoln Memorial Drive to the west; and the south boundary of Maritiimi to the north.
- 1.16 Dún Cestour - boundaries anti-clockwise from extreme North-East are: a line drawn from the intersection of E Kenwood Blvd and N Lake Dr, along E Kenwood Blvd, to the Sea; thence along N Lake Drive to E Park Place; thence along E Park Place to N Maryland Avenue; thence along N Maryland Avenue to N Prospect Avenue; thence along N Prospect Avenue to E North Avenue; thence along E North Avenue to its intersection with N Lake Drive; thence along East North Avenue, cutting directly through the center of the traffic roundabout where the historic water tower is situated, to its intersection with N Terrace Avenue; thence along N Terrace Avenue to its intersection with E Water Tower Road; thence along E Water Tower Road in its entirety; thence directly across N Lincoln Memorial Drive to the unmarked road at the southern edge of the carpark; thence following that unmarked road to a point due east of the southern end of E Water Tower Road; thence due east to the Sea.
- 1.17 Vuode - boundaries clockwise from North are E Kenwood Blvd; N Lake Dr; E Park Pl; N Maryland Ave.
L. Laws Supplementing Article III of the Organic Law
1. The Holder of any Talossan Office, Organic or Statutory, except the King and the Prime Minister, may resign his/her office by verbal communication provided that: (43PD1) (52RZ4)
- 1.1. S/He provides a reasonable valid explanation that s/he cannot for whatever reason submit his/her resignation in writing and/or it cannot be reasonably expected for him/her to submit their resignation in writing based upon his/her current health and/or personal circumstances. (52RZ4)
- 1.2. Such verbal communication of his/her resignation must be made to and witnessed by either: (52RZ4)
- 1.2.1. The King and/or his duly appointed agent or; (52RZ4)
- 1.2.2. The Prime Minister and/or his/her duly appointed agent or; (52RZ4)
- 1.2.3. The Secretary of State and his/her duly appointed agent. (52RZ4)
- 1.3. Only verbal communication of resignation to made to and witnessed by one or more the of the above (hereinafter referred to as “the Witness”), shall be deemed a valid and lawful resignation. (52RZ4)
- 1.4. Upon receipt of such verbal resignation, the Witness shall, after taking all reasonable measures to ensure it is the true intention of the office holder to resign his/her office, immediately post on a publicly accessible board on Witt (or its current equivalent) a sworn, signed and dated declaration/affidavit that s/he has witnessed or was the recipient of a verbal communication in which the aforementioned Office Holder has stated his/her clear and irrevocable decision to immediately resign his/her office and which states said office(s). (52RZ4)
- 1.4.1. Such resignation shall take effect three (3) days from the date of posting of said Declaration/Affidavit. (52RZ4)
- 1.4.2. The Declaration/Affidavit shall be considered as a written resignation directly from the person(s) resigning his/her office, if a written resignation is required by any provisions of the Organic Law and/or any Statutory Law. (52RZ4)
- 1.4.3. It is an offence to knowingly or maliciously make a Declaration/Affidavit that one knows to be false and/or to impersonate via whatever means a Office Holder with a view to convince or otherwise lead the Witness to believe that it is the said Office Holder’s intention to resign. Such crimes shall be punishable at the discretion of the Court. (52RZ4)
2. The Ziu empowers His Majesty to issue Royal Charters officially founding any and all organizations within the Kingdom. This Charter will allow such organizations to use the Talossan name and image in accordance with the law. His Majesty may issue these Charters on request, and these Charters can be as pompous as His Majesty may desire. However, the lack of a Royal Charter will not affect an organization's right to exist unless specified in future law or by the Organic Law. (52RZ4)
3. The legal guardian of a minor sovereign shall be one or both of the biological or adopted parents of the said sovereign, providing that at least one of the said parents is a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. (36RZ1) (52RZ4)
- 3.1. If a minor sovereign is not the biological or adopted child of a Talossan citizen, the minor sovereign shall be a ward of the State. The wardship of the minor monarch shall be executed jointly by the Ziu and the Cort Pü Înalt, through a unanimous vote of the Cort and a two-thirds vote of each house of the Ziu. (52RZ4)
4. Should a Senator be chosen as Regent, the temporary holder of the Senatorial seat shall be named by the Premier of the province for which the appointed Regent serves as Senator. (38PD2) (52RZ4)
- 4.1. Should a member of the Cosa be chosen as Regent, the temporary holder(s) of the Cosa seat(s) shall be named by the leader of the political party which had earned and assigned the said seats in the most recent general election. (52RZ4)
- 4.2. The appointments shall be considered effective upon their being provided to the Chancery to be recorded by His Majesty's Secretary of State. (52RZ4)
- 4.3. Persons appointed to vacated Senatorial seats shall be subject to the terms of Article III, Section 2 of the Organic Law and to any and all other statutory and Organic provisions respecting the exercise of the rights and privileges of the office of Senator, notwithstanding any contrary eligibility and standing held by the appointed Regent (53RZ22) (52RZ4)
- 4.4. Should either of the persons empowered by this law fail to make the said appointment(s) after a period of seven (7) days, the Regent still-serving shall be empowered to make the said appointment(s). (52RZ4)
5. The Royal College of Arms shall create and maintain all Talossan flags and coats of arms and achievements, to advise and support the King in the awarding of all such arms and all titles of honour and nobility, to advise the citizens regarding heraldic issues, and to govern the armorial practice and regulations of the Kingdom. The Royal College of Arms is headed by the Squirrel King (or Queen) of Arms, who is appointed and removed by the King on the recommendation of the Seneschál. (52RZ4)
- 5.1 The Coat of Arms of Talossa shall exist in two forms: the Lesser State Arms and the Greater State Arms. The Lesser State Arms is thus blazoned: "Argent the Chinese Character 'Ben' meaning energetic Sable. Surrounding the Escutcheon an Annulet Azure fimbriated Or bearing the words 'Regipäts Talossán Kingdom * 26.12.1979 *' Or. For the Crest a Royal Crown Proper." The Greater State Arms consists of the Lesser State Arms with the following supporters and base: "Two Talossan Squirrels Proper standing upon a Ribbon Argent fimbriated at the chief Vert and at the base Gules bearing the motto 'Miehen Huone on Hänen Valtakuntasna'". Either form of the Coat of Arms of Talossa may be used for official and patriotic purposes." (53RZ22)
6. "The historic and official title of the King of Talossa is: "__________ (name), by the Grace of God, King of Talossa and of all its Realms and Regions, King of Cézembre, Sovereign Lord and Protector of Pengöpäts and the New Falklands, Defender of the Faith, Leader of the Armed Forces, Viceroy of Hoxha and Vicar of Atatürk. (53RZ22)
7. Among the first acts of his reign the King shall name a Privy Council (Sabôr, in Talossan) consisting of several Privy Councillors (called Guaïrs in Talossan) with whom he shall consult whenever possible on all matters of grave importance to the Kingdom, and whose duty shall be to offer the King the benefit of their individual and collective wisdom and advice. The King shall take care to include in this council those citizens with the longest and deepest connections to the ongoing historical life of the Kingdom, in particular those who are personally familiar with the homeland itself. Should at any time they deem it wise or necessary to do so, Privy Councillors .acting alone or in concert with fellow councillors . may publicly issue a "Letter to the King" about any matter of grave importance to the Kingdom. The Privy Councillors shall serve at the pleasure of the King. Privy Councillors shall be entitled to add the honorific initials "GST" to their signatures, for "Guaïr del Sabôr Talossán. (53RZ22)
8. The King shall deliver a Speech from the Throne every year on Independence Day. (53RZ22)
9. The King shall never be allowed to enter the Senäts, unless he is cited to testify in a Senate commission. (53RZ22)
10. Stricken by Statute (55RZ16) (53RZ22)
11. The present Royal Family is styled El Ca Lupul (The House and Dynasty of Lupul) (53RZ22)
Z. Validity of el Lexhatx
1. It is the intent and expectation of the Ziu that future resolutions of the Ziu intended to create statutory law will be drafted as amendments to this Lexhatx, such that the operative clauses of the resolutions are incorporated into the body of el Lexhatx. The full text of such resolutions, including "whereas" clauses and sponsor information, shall be preserved in l'Anuntzia dels Legeux as legislative history.
2. El Lexhatx shall be organized by lettered title. This title, Z. Validity of el Lexhatx, would thus be called "Title Z." Each title shall be further organized by a nested numbering system. Each individual numbered provision may be referred to by referencing its title and number. This provision would thus be called "Z.2." To minimize ambiguity, each individual numbered provision of the first level (e.g. Z.2) shall be called a "section," and individually numbered provisions set within a section shall be called "subsections" (e.g. Z.2.1). For each additional nested later, another "sub-" prefix may be included. Thus, Z.3.4.6.1 would be referred to as subsubsubsection Z.3.4.6.1.
3. If and when a new provision is incorporated into el Lexhatx, its originating statute shall be noted with the provision.
4. In time, it is hoped that el Lexhatx will be supplanted with a new code, written in el Glheþ Talossan. Sir C.M. Siervicül and Magniloqueu Épiqeu da Lhiun are to be commended already for their aid in this regard.
59. Fifty-nine is a neat number.
(Scribe Notes)
- ↑ (49RZ23) (53RZ22)
- ↑ (50PD02)
- ↑ (52RZ18)
- ↑ (52RZ18)
- ↑ [formerly numbered as 2.4 - renumbered per 52RZ18]
- ↑ [formerly numbered as 2.5 - renumbered per 52RZ18]
- ↑ [formerly numbered as 2.6 - renumbered per 52RZ18]
- ↑ 53RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ18
- ↑ this section is blank per 57RZ13
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ This section is blank per 57RZ22
- ↑ This section is blank per 57RZ22
- ↑ This section is blank per 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ22
- ↑ 57RZ23
- ↑ (53RZ22)
- ↑ (53RZ22)
- ↑ (left blank by 57RZ27)
- ↑ (53RZ22)
- ↑ (53RZ22)
- ↑ (53RZ22)
- ↑ (53RZ22)
- ↑ 57RZ14
- ↑ 57RZ14
- ↑ 57RZ14
- ↑ 57RZ14
- ↑ 57RZ14
- ↑ 57RZ14
- ↑ 57RZ14
- ↑ This section blank per 53RZ29
- ↑ This section blank per 57RZ14
- ↑ This section blank per 57RZ14
- ↑ This section blank per 57RZ14
- ↑ (55RZ19)
- ↑ (53RZ22)
- ↑ (55RZ18)
- ↑ (57PD01)