Topic title

[Edema Rue she/her]

I'm the prosecuting attorney.

[Wittles he/him]

I'll be a jury member, maybe the defense if no one's taken it

[kajsa ㅇㅅㅇ she/her]

10 minutes ago, Edema Ruh said:

I'm the prosecuting attorney.

4 minutes ago, Wittles of Shinovar said:

I'll be a jury member, maybe the defense if no one's taken it

AH, THAT REMINDS ME! There's always a team of at least three attorneys on each side (though four is optimal). Why don't I team up with you, @Edema Ruh, and we can enlist the help of 1-2 others and the Defendant can "hire" some defense attorneys of his own?

[Wittles he/him]

3 minutes ago, Kajsa said:

AH, THAT REMINDS ME! There's always a team of at least three attorneys on each side (though four is optimal). Why don't I team up with you, @Edema Ruh, and we can enlist the help of 1-2 others and the Defendant can "hire" some defense attorneys of his own?

So am I the defendant?

[kajsa ㅇㅅㅇ she/her]

2 minutes ago, Wittles of Shinovar said:

So am I the defendant?

No, that’s @Wits instant noodles. The Defendant is the one accused of the crime. But if you’re interested in being on the Defense, I don’t see a problem with that, Wittles. 

[Wittles he/him]

8 minutes ago, Kajsa said:

No, that’s @Wits instant noodles. The Defendant is the one accused of the crime. But if you’re interested in being on the Defense, I don’t see a problem with that, Wittles. 

Oh I forgot what the terms meant, lol. 

Yay defending the defendant!

[Edema Rue she/her]

17 minutes ago, Kajsa said:

AH, THAT REMINDS ME! There's always a team of at least three attorneys on each side (though four is optimal). Why don't I team up with you, @Edema Ruh, and we can enlist the help of 1-2 others and the Defendant can "hire" some defense attorneys of his own?

Okay!! You probably know what you’re doing much more than I do anyway!

[kajsa ㅇㅅㅇ she/her]

37 minutes ago, Edema Ruh said:

Okay!! You probably know what you’re doing much more than I do anyway!

*British accent*

Alright then. 

[Tea Leaf]

1 hour ago, Kajsa said:

*British accent*

Alright then. 

All Right Then. We all know that all who defend the defendant will be tried one by one as witches right?

[Wittles he/him]

6 minutes ago, The Last Fæ said:

All Right Then. We all know that all who defend the defendant will be tried one by one as witches right?

But what if I'm just a witches assistant or something?

[Tea Leaf]

Just now, Wittles of Shinovar said:

But what if I'm just a witches assistant or something?

Then you will be tried as such, why: you are an accomplice to a crime.

[Wittles he/him]

Just now, The Last Fæ said:

Then you will be tried as such, why: you are an accomplice to a crime.

Okay, that works. I just don't want to be charged for something I didn't do.

Where's the fun in that?

[Immortal Platypus]

3 hours ago, Kajsa said:

Right... my bad. 

Jury:

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The jury is one of the most crucial pieces to the case. They decide the fate of the Defendant. There should be 6-12 jury members.

ABOUT:

The jury must know nothing about the case before the actual trial. They are unbiased and must use logic to find the accused either guilty or not guilty. Since this is a criminal case, the vote must be unanimous. If the jury cannot come to a consensus within the arranged time period, the judge will declare a Hung Jury and the case will be closed.

 

DOs:

Jurors are allowed to take notes (at least for this case) and create LOGICAL AND RATIONAL opinions during the presentation of the opening statements, direct and cross examination of the witnesses, and the closing statements.

DON'Ts:

Jurors are not allowed to speak to another during the trial. They cannot look up background information on the Defendant or the Attorneys. The only time they may speak to one another is during the designated deliberation period, which usually lasts up to 6 hours. If you cannot come to a consensus, the judge may or may not grant you another hour or two. If, after the said amount of time, you cannot reach a consensus, the judge will declare a Hung Jury, and the case will be closed.

 

THE JURORS MUST REMAIN UNBIASED.

Witnesses:

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The witnesses of a case are very important. They are basically what make the case possible. 

ABOUT:

The witnesses are those who witnessed the crime or personally know the Defendant. There are usually 3 witnesses for the Prosecution and three for the Defense. That means we need six people total, three who are willing to vouch for Wit and three who can go against him. They are the ones who are questioned by the Attorneys, direct and cross (so they'll have two different questioning sessions though they never leave the stand, even though in this case that's invisible). In direct examination, they will give long, open responses to open ended questions from the attorneys. In cross examination, they will either state 'yes' or 'no'. If they give more than that, the attorney can object and the judge would have to sustain that.

DOs:

Answer direct examination with information that will help your side. This should be a longer response. Answer cross examination with a "yes" or a "no". If you offer more and the attorney objects, it could make you and your side look bad. Be careful when in both direct and cross examination. Lay out your story as flawlessly as you possibly can in direct examination so that when it comes time for cross examination it is harder for the other side to pull your story to shreds. 

DON'Ts:

WITNESSES ARE FORBIDDEN BY LAW TO LIE IN COURT. So don't lie. Also don't withhold information. If you are being questioned, you cannot say "I can't tell you that" or "Why would I tell you?". If you are unsure of the answer to a question, you can say "I'm not sure" or "I don't remember". If in direct examination, the attorney will point out the lines in your Witness Addendum where the answer to the question lies. You will then be allowed to read those lines of your Witness Addendum (which y'all're gunna need to write and send to me--this is basically everything you remember about the "crime") and your memory will be refreshed. The question will then be restated, you will answer, and the attorney will move on. If in cross examination, the attorney will read the lines of your Addendum out loud and ask, "Did I read that correctly?". If they did, you must answer "yes". NO LYING!!!!!!! (not that I think it's gonna be a problem )

Attorneys:

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There's a lot that happens with attorneys, I'll dm the people who are attorneys after everyone is selected and all that jazz.

Judge:

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The judge basically oversees the case and makes sure nothing goes wrong. They have the power to sustain objections, call order to the court, grant permission for the attorneys to approach the jury and witness stand (which won't be plausible for this online case ), and accept exhibits into evidence. They have the final word. Don't argue.

Defendant:

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You, @Wits instant noodles, have been charged with witchcraft. You will stand as one of the witnesses for the defense, so make sure you are very careful how you lay out your story while also not lying. If you can DM me an Addendum, that would be awesome. If you have no clue what that is go read the witnesses section. 

If you guys have any questions, let me know! As soon as attorneys are selected (I'd be happy to serve as one for the Defense or Prosecution), I can give them their different roles and the case can begin!

BAHAHAHAHA!

*clears throat*

Um... yeah.

Kajsa --> out

thank you! it might be hard to find a jury though, most people ridiculous enough to do this already know the defendant, prosecutor, and the crime. so... we might need to adjust that. I'm the judge. also, is this a criminal case? as the judge, if he's found guilty, do i assign the sentence?

[kajsa ㅇㅅㅇ she/her]

2 minutes ago, Being of Cacophony said:

thank you! it might be hard to find a jury though, most people ridiculous enough to do this already know the defendant, prosecutor, and the crime. so... we might need to adjust that. I'm the judge. also, is this a criminal case? as the judge, if he's found guilty, do i assign the sentence?

The sentence is usually determined by the law, because the judge is not technically all-powerful. But, seeing as how this trial is technically mock, I suppose you can sentence him as long as it follows the shard rules

[Immortal Platypus]

18 minutes ago, Kajsa said:

The sentence is usually determined by the law, because the judge is not technically all-powerful. But, seeing as how this trial is technically mock, I suppose you can sentence him as long as it follows the shard rules

YES! Especially since there's probably not a legal law about not being a witch anymore.

[I'mNotNotARobot he/him]

48 minutes ago, Being of Cacophony said:

YES! Especially since there's probably not a legal law about not being a witch anymore.

Wait... there isn't?!

*contemplates existence*

[Immortal Platypus]

40 minutes ago, I'mNotNotARobot said:

Wait... there isn't?!

*contemplates existence*

i mean... there might be, but I doubt it  

[aetherbound he/him]

6 hours ago, Kajsa said:

AH, THAT REMINDS ME! There's always a team of at least three attorneys on each side (though four is optimal). Why don't I team up with you, @Edema Ruh, and we can enlist the help of 1-2 others and the Defendant can "hire" some defense attorneys of his own?

If there are three prosecuting attorneys, then I want to be one

Edited May 4, 2023 by Aetherbound
Clearifying

[kajsa ㅇㅅㅇ she/her]

9 hours ago, Aetherbound said:

If there are three prosecuting attorneys, then I want to be one

That works! So it's you, me, and Edema, and then we can recruit one more if we want to to make the workload more even.

[Tea Leaf]

16 hours ago, Being of Cacophony said:

as the judge, if he's found guilty, do i assign the sentence?

I'll help, the sentence is... um... what do we have the power to do?

[The cheeseman Don't you dare go Hollow!]

30 minutes ago, The Last Fæ said:

I'll help, the sentence is... um... what do we have the power to do?

Slow the storms down, he hasn't been found guilty yet.

[Tea Leaf]

Just now, The cheeseman said:

Slow the storms down, he hasn't been found guilty yet.

I mean what sentences can be delivered.

[aetherbound he/him]

14 minutes ago, The Last Fæ said:

I mean what sentences can be delivered.

The traditional penalty for witchcraft is death by fire

[Tea Leaf]

7 minutes ago, Aetherbound said:

The traditional penalty for witchcraft is death by fire

Can we do that in an effective manner?

[Immortal Platypus]

1 hour ago, The Last Fæ said:

I'll help, the sentence is... um... what do we have the power to do?

a lot of things. My ideas are either moving to California for life (as the minimum), banned from the Shard and from us following him (Mid), DEATH! (not the most extreme)

59 minutes ago, The Last Fæ said:

Can we do that in an effective manner?

yes