Supreme Court of Lourenne

The Supreme Court of the Free Republic of Lourenne is the highest judicial body in the Free Republic of Lourenne. It was created by the Senate in October of 2472, although President Stefan Tepeu's nominations for the first three vacant seats weren't confirmed by the Senate until June of 2473, meaning that the court was empty until that time. Its powers and current members are listed below.

Structure of the Court
1. The Supreme Court is composed of three Justices, who serve for a period of twenty-five (25) years after appointment, or until retirement.

2. An individual may become a justice only through being appointed by the President and confirmed by a simple majority of the Senate. A justice cannot be removed from office unless he or she decides to retire. Appointments shall be made immediately upon formation of the court, and thereafter shall be made immediately upon retirement of a justice, in which case only the retiring justice or justices are replaced.

Function of the Court
3. The Supreme Court shall decide the interpretation of the law. Ambiguous laws may be submitted to the Supreme Court for a ruling. If a majority of justices decide to hear the case, the Supreme Court will rule on the matter. The President, ministers, members of the Senate, and representatives of the same may argue before the Supreme Court to influence the decision. A majority of justices must agree for a ruling to take effect, and justices may abstain from decisions. Legal questions submitted to the Supreme Court in this manner must follow a "yes or no" or "either/or" format.

4. The Supreme Court shall hear criminal cases in the same manner. The defendant must appeal to the Supreme Court, and the court must agree to hear the case, as in 3. The Minister of Justice will appoint a prosecutor to argue before the court, and the court shall hear both sides and rule on the matter.

5. The Supreme Court's decision is final and binding on all of Lourenne until the law itself is changed by the Senate, or until the matter is again submitted to, accepted by, and ruled on by the Supreme Court.

Restrictions on the Court
6. The Supreme Court has no further powers, such as inquisitorial powers or the establishment of common law. The court may not reverse laws passed by the Senate, block executive actions, or rule on any matter without it first being submitted for review by a third party.

7. Rulings are to be made at least eight months after the start of the hearing, to allow adequate time for both sides to make their arguments, although a justice can make his or her vote known ahead of time, in which case that is assumed to be his or her official vote upon the conclusion of the eight month period, unless he or she changes or rescinds his or her vote before the end of the eight-month period. The Supreme Court may hear multiple cases at once.