The Judiciary

There are, per capita, more lawyers in Cylea than most nations would be comfortable with. But Cylea's judicial system, thanks to the Powell Administration's extensive reforms, runs smoothly.

At the local level, thousands of magistrate judges oversee courts of general jurisdiction for local communities. These magistrates are elected by their communities through non-partisan polls, but must first pass a rigorous exam before they are eligible to run.

Aggrieved litigants have one appeal by right to the appellate court for their respective province. These appellate judges are appointed by the governors of their respective provinces and serve subject to public recall votes. While the number of judges on any particular appellate court varies depending on the size of the province, they typically sit in three-judge panels to resolve any particular case.

Above all this, a High Court in Bastion with 15 justices appointed directly by the Senate has limited jurisdiction to resolve any legal conflicts that develop between the provinces. Each reconstitution of a newly elected Senate names one new justice to the High Court to replace its longest tenured member; by law, this is the Senate's first order of business after it names a new Chancellor.