Imperial Courts and Judiciary Act

Section 1Short Title and Commencement

(1)This Act may be cited as the Imperial Courts and Judiciary Act.

(2)This Act came into force in 1 AIA, being the first year of the reign of the present Emperor and the first year of the Galactic Empire.

Section 2Constitutional Basis

This Act is made in exercise of the authority reserved to Imperial law by the Imperial Charter, which vests in the Senate the establishment of a supreme judicial authority for the Galactic Empire and such courts subordinate to it as the administration of Imperial justice may require, and which reserves to the Throne the powers set out in Part IX of this Act. It was enacted to reconstitute, upon an Imperial footing, the judiciary inherited from the Republic.

Section 3Exclusivity of the Imperial Judicial Structure

(1)A Moff, Grand Moff, or other territorial governor shall not create, modify, or abolish a court, tribunal, or other judicial body within the Imperial judicial system.

(2)Subsection (1) does not affect a local or planetary court preserved by section 5.

(3)The power to establish, modify, or abolish a court, tribunal, or other judicial body within the Imperial judicial system is reserved to the Throne and to the Senate, acting under the Imperial Charter.

Section 4Interpretation

(1)In this Act—

(a)“Imperial law” means any statute, charter provision, decree, or instrument having force throughout the Galactic Empire, and any rule or regulation made under such authority;

(b)“local court” means any court, tribunal, or judicial body constituted under the law of a planetary, system, or local government, and not established by or under this Act;

(c)“Imperial interest” means an interest of the Galactic Empire in the revenue, security, property, or personnel of the Galactic Empire, or in the consistent application of Imperial law;

(d)“Moff” and “sector” bear the meanings given to them in the instruments by which sectoral administration is constituted;

(e)“Oversector” means one of the twenty Imperial Oversectors, being the Galactic Empire's highest permanent territorial tier, and “Grand Moff” means the Governor of an Oversector duly appointed by the Emperor;

(f)“Imperial Ruling Council” means the Council so constituted, acting in accordance with its own procedures;

(g)“Imperial Centre” means any central instrument of His Imperial Majesty’s government or authority, but does not include the Imperial Ruling Council, the Imperial Senate, or a court established under this Act;

(h)“The Throne” means the Emperor, acting in his sovereign capacity, or an individual or body acting under powers expressly delegated to them by His Imperial Majesty that would ordinarily be reserved to him;

(i)“Procurator of Justice” means the chief prosecutor of the Galactic Empire, being the officer of that title within the Ministry of Justice;

(j)“Planet” and “Planetary” shall be construed as to include other celestial bodies such as moons, asteroids, and space stations, as appropriate.

Section 5Preservation of Local Jurisdiction; General Principles

(1)Nothing in this Act displaces the jurisdiction of any local or planetary court over matters arising under local law; a local or planetary court accordingly continues to hear the general run of civil and criminal matters arising under local law, including contract, tort, property, family, succession, and local criminal offences, save as this Act otherwise provides.

(2)A local or planetary court remains the court of first instance for all matters save those reserved to the Imperial judiciary under section 7, or removed to it under Part IV.

(3)Nothing in this Act requires the reorganisation of any local or planetary court, or the alteration of any local law of procedure, save as strictly necessary to give effect to Part IV.

(4)The jurisdiction of a court established under this Act, whether original or appellate, extends to civil and criminal matters alike, save where this Act otherwise provides.

(5)There is no right to trial by jury before a court established under this Act; this subsection is made in exercise of the discretion the Imperial Code of Justice confers upon Imperial Law to determine the offences, jurisdictions, and circumstances in which trial by jury is required, available, or excluded. A proceeding is heard by a judge sitting alone or, in a matter as the rules of court or this Act may specify, by a panel of judges.

(6)Nothing in this Act displaces or limits such oversight of a local or planetary court as may be exercised by another Imperial institution otherwise than under this Act.

(7)Where a court established under this Act determines a matter under section 7(1)(d), it shall apply the substantive law of whichever local or planetary jurisdiction properly governs the matter, unless this Act, the Imperial Charter, or another Imperial statute displaces that law.

Section 6Establishment

(1)There shall be established within each sector such number of Imperial District Courts as the Supreme Court, in consultation with the Ministry of Justice and the local Moff, may direct, having regard to population, case volume, and administrative convenience.

(2)Each Imperial District Court shall sit at such seat or seats within its district as may be designated, and may sit on circuit where the Supreme Court so directs.

(3)An Imperial District Court may be organised into divisions, whether by subject matter or by planetary or system grouping, as its case volume requires.

(4)A judge of an Imperial District Court holds the rank of Magistrate; a judge presiding over a division holds the rank of Senior Magistrate; and the presiding judge of the Imperial District Court as a whole holds the rank of Chief Magistrate; under the Imperial Rank Structure.

Section 7Original Jurisdiction

(1)An Imperial District Court has original jurisdiction, in civil and criminal matters alike, over—

(a)offences against Imperial statute;

(b)matters of Imperial customs, excise, and revenue;

(c)proceedings to which the Galactic Empire, an Imperial officer acting in that capacity, or Imperial property is a party;

(d)disputes between persons or entities domiciled in different planetary jurisdictions, where the matter in dispute is governed by Imperial law;

(e)insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings involving assets or creditors situated in more than one planetary jurisdiction;

(f)offences against the security of the Galactic Empire, save high treason, which lies within the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under section 23(1)(a), and save those matters reserved under section 19.

(2)A dispute does not fall within subsection (1)(d) where its value is below such threshold as rules of court under section 45 may specify; this subsection does not apply to a dispute under subsection (1)(a), (b), (c), (e), or (f).

Section 8Appointment and Removal of Judicial Officers

(1)The judicial officers of an Imperial District Court shall be nominated by the Chief Justice.

(2)A nomination under subsection (1) shall be confirmed by the Imperial Ruling Council, in accordance with such procedures as the Council may determine, before it takes effect.

(3)The Imperial Ruling Council may decline to confirm a nomination where it considers the nominee unsuitable for office, and may in that event appoint a candidate of its own choosing in place of the Chief Justice’s nominee.

(4)Where the Chief Justice fails or declines to make a nomination within such period as the Imperial Ruling Council may specify, the Imperial Ruling Council may appoint a candidate of its own choosing to the vacancy.

(5)A decision of the Imperial Ruling Council under this section is final, and shall not be called into question in any proceeding.

(6)A judge of an Imperial District Court may be removed from office where the Chief Justice, the local leadership judge, or another competent official raises a concern as to the judge’s conduct or fitness for office, and the Imperial Ruling Council confirms the removal.

(7)The Imperial Ruling Council may, of its own motion, remove a judge of an Imperial District Court from office.

(8)The Throne may remove a judge of an Imperial District Court from office at will.

Section 9Removal, Referral, and Imperial Direction

(1)Where a proceeding is commenced in a local or planetary court and it appears that the proceeding involves a question of Imperial law, a party subject to Imperial jurisdiction, or an Imperial interest, any party to the proceeding, or another Imperial institution with a legitimate interest in the consistent application of Imperial law, may petition the Imperial District Court having jurisdiction over the district for removal of the proceeding to that Court.

(2)The local or planetary court in which such a proceeding is commenced may, of its own motion, refer the proceeding to the Imperial District Court having jurisdiction over the district, in lieu of awaiting a petition under subsection (1).

(3)An Imperial District Court may, of its own motion, order the removal to itself of a proceeding pending in a local or planetary court, where it considers the proceeding to fall within its original jurisdiction under section 7 and that removal is necessary for the due administration of Imperial law.

(4)A local or planetary court retains jurisdiction over a proceeding until removal is granted or ordered, or a referral accepted, under this section.

(5)The Imperial District Court shall grant a petition under subsection (1), or accept a referral under subsection (2), where satisfied that the proceeding falls, in whole or in part, within its original jurisdiction under section 7, and shall otherwise remand the proceeding to the court in which it was commenced.

(6)Where a proceeding is removed or referred in part, the Imperial District Court may determine the whole of the proceeding, including a claim not otherwise within its jurisdiction, where that claim arises from the same transaction or occurrence as a claim properly within its jurisdiction under section 7; otherwise, the Imperial District Court shall determine only so much of the proceeding as falls within its jurisdiction, and shall remand the remainder.

(7)A petition, referral, or order under this section shall be made within such period, and in such form, as rules of court made under section 45 may prescribe.

(8)Where the Supreme Court considers that a proceeding pending in a local, planetary, or Imperial court ought, in view of its Imperial significance, to be heard by a particular Imperial court, the Supreme Court may by order direct that the proceeding be transferred to that court notwithstanding subsections (1) to (3), and its order is not subject to appeal. Lower courts may petition the Supreme Court to invoke its authority under this subsection.

(9)The decision whether to grant a petition under subsection (1), or to accept a referral under subsection (2), is for the Imperial District Court alone; once removal is granted or a referral accepted, the local or planetary court shall cease to act in the proceeding, and an act done by it in that proceeding thereafter is of no effect.

Section 10Certified Appeal from Local Courts

(1)Where the final judgment of the highest court of a planetary or local jurisdiction determines a question as to the validity, construction, or application of Imperial law, any party to that judgment may appeal it, insofar as it determines that question, to the Imperial District Court having jurisdiction over the sector in which the judgment was given.

(2)An appeal under this section does not extend to any part of the judgment not concerning a question of Imperial law, which shall remain subject to such further local appeal as local law provides.

(3)The Imperial District Court may, in a matter of exceptional Imperial significance, certify the question directly to the Sector Court of Justice, which may then hear the appeal in the first instance.

Section 11Venue and Consolidation

(1)Where a dispute within section 7(1)(d) is between persons or entities domiciled in different sectors, proceedings shall be commenced in the Imperial District Court having jurisdiction over the sector in which the respondent is domiciled, unless the parties agree otherwise.

(2)Where proceedings arising from substantially the same dispute within section 7(1)(d) are commenced in more than one Imperial District Court, the District Court in which proceedings were first commenced shall determine the whole of the dispute, and any later proceeding shall be stayed or dismissed accordingly; save that a District Court may decline to proceed, and may transfer the matter to the other District Court, where it considers that Court better placed to determine the dispute.

(3)The Supreme Court may, under section 9(8), direct that proceedings within this section be consolidated before, or transferred to, a particular Imperial court, notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2).

Section 12Extradition

(1)An Imperial District Court may order the surrender of a person to a requesting jurisdiction outside the Galactic Empire, only where satisfied that—

(a)the request is founded upon a warrant or judgment of a competent authority of the requesting jurisdiction;

(b)the conduct alleged would constitute an offence under Imperial law if committed within the Galactic Empire; and

(c)the request complies with any applicable treaty, convention, or agreement to which the Galactic Empire is party.

(3)A person surrendered under this section may be tried by the requesting jurisdiction only for the offence for which surrender was granted, unless the person consents to trial for another offence or the Court is satisfied that the requesting jurisdiction affords a further opportunity to object.

(4)An order under this section may be appealed to the Sector Court of Justice within whose sector the Imperial District Court sits.

(5)This section does not apply to the transfer of a proceeding within the Imperial judicial system.

Section 13Establishment

(1)There shall be established in each sector a Sector Court of Justice, seated at the sector capital.

(2)A Sector Court of Justice may be organised into divisions, including a Criminal Division and a Civil Division, as its case volume requires.

Section 14Panels

(1)For a matter of original jurisdiction in the ordinary course, the matter shall be adjudicated by a judge sitting alone.

(2)The Sector Court of Justice shall convene a panel of three judges, consisting of two Judges and one Senior Judge, which may include the Chief Judge at the Chief Judge’s discretion, to determine a matter of original jurisdiction of such significance as rules of court may specify, or a matter which an individual judge considers ought to be determined by a panel.

(3)For an appellate matter in the ordinary course, a Sector Court of Justice may sit in a panel of three judges.

(4)The Sector Court of Justice shall convene a panel of nine Senior Judges, which may include the Chief Judge at the Chief Judge’s discretion, to determine an appellate matter of such significance as rules of court may specify, or a matter which a panel of three judges considers ought to be determined by a larger panel.

Section 15Jurisdiction

(1)A Sector Court of Justice has original jurisdiction over a dispute between two or more constituent planets or other celestial bodies of the sector, or between a constituent planet or other celestial body and the Sector command.

(2)A Sector Court of Justice may, of its own motion, order that a matter within the original jurisdiction of an Imperial District Court under section 7, and pending before a District Court within its sector, be transferred to itself, where it considers the matter to be of unusual severity, value, complexity, or profile.

(3)An appeal lies as of right from an Imperial District Court to the Sector Court of Justice within its sector.

(4)The Sector Court of Justice hears such further matters as are conferred upon it by section 10(3), by other provision of this Act, or by rules made under it.

(5)A decision of a Sector Court of Justice under subsection (1) or (2) may be appealed to the Oversector Circuit Court.

(6)At the request of the Moff of the sector concerned, the Sector Court of Justice may issue an advisory opinion upon a question of Imperial law affecting the sector, notwithstanding that no proceeding is pending before it.

Section 16Appointment and Removal of Judicial Officers

(1)The judicial officers of a Sector Court of Justice shall be nominated by the Chief Justice.

(2)A nomination under subsection (1) shall be confirmed by the Imperial Ruling Council, in accordance with such procedures as the Council may determine, before it takes effect.

(3)The Imperial Ruling Council may decline to confirm a nomination where it considers the nominee unsuitable for office, and may in that event appoint a candidate of its own choosing in place of the Chief Justice’s nominee.

(4)Where the Chief Justice fails or declines to make a nomination within such period as the Imperial Ruling Council may specify, the Imperial Ruling Council may appoint a candidate of its own choosing to the vacancy.

(5)A decision of the Imperial Ruling Council under this section is final, and shall not be called into question in any proceeding.

(6)A judge of a Sector Court of Justice may be removed from office where the Chief Justice, the presiding judge of the Sector Court of Justice, or another competent official raises a concern as to the judge’s conduct or fitness for office, and the Imperial Ruling Council confirms the removal.

(7)The Imperial Ruling Council may, of its own motion, remove a judge of a Sector Court of Justice from office.

(8)The Throne may remove a judge of a Sector Court of Justice from office at will.

(9)A judge of a Sector Court of Justice holds the rank of Judge; a senior judge the rank of Senior Judge; and the presiding judge of the Sector Court of Justice holds the rank of Chief Judge; under the Imperial Rank Structure.

Section 17Establishment

(1)There is established, for each of the twenty Imperial Oversectors, an Oversector Circuit Court, seated at the administrative capital of that Oversector.

(2)An Oversector Circuit Court has jurisdiction over the constituent sectors comprised within its Oversector.

Section 18Panels

(1)An Oversector Circuit Court may sit in panels of three judges for the determination of a matter in the ordinary course.

(2)The full Oversector Circuit Court shall convene to determine a matter of such significance as rules of court may specify, or a matter which a panel considers ought to be determined by the full Court.

Section 19Jurisdiction

(1)An Oversector Circuit Court has original jurisdiction over a dispute between two or more constituent sectors of the Oversector, or between a constituent sector and the Oversector command.

(2)An Oversector Circuit Court may, of its own motion, order that a matter within the original jurisdiction of a Sector Court of Justice under section 15(1) or (2), and pending before a Sector Court of Justice within its Oversector, be transferred to itself, where it considers the matter to be of unusual severity, value, complexity, or profile.

(3)An Oversector Circuit Court has appellate jurisdiction over—

(a)an appeal from a Sector Court of Justice within its Oversector raising a matter of significance extending beyond a single sector;

(b)an appeal from a decision of a Sector Court of Justice made in the exercise of its original jurisdiction under section 15(1) or (2);

(c)a proceeding concerning an offence against the security of the Galactic Empire of such gravity as the Supreme Court may by direction specify;

(d)such other matter of Imperial significance affecting more than one sector as may be referred to it by the Supreme Court.

(4)A decision of an Oversector Circuit Court under subsection (1) or (2) may be appealed to the Supreme Court.

(5)The jurisdiction of an Oversector Circuit Court is not general, and shall not be invoked save in respect of a matter falling within this section.

(6)At the request of the Grand Moff of the Oversector concerned, an Oversector Circuit Court may issue an advisory opinion upon a question of Imperial law affecting the Oversector, notwithstanding that no proceeding is pending before it.

(7)A material inconsistency between the decisions of two or more Sector Courts of Justice within the Oversector upon a question of Imperial law is, of itself, a matter of significance extending beyond a single sector for the purposes of subsection (3)(a).

Section 20Appointment and Removal of Judicial Officers

(1)The judicial officers of an Oversector Circuit Court shall be nominated by the Chief Justice.

(2)A nomination under subsection (1) shall be confirmed by the Imperial Ruling Council, in accordance with such procedures as the Council may determine, before it takes effect.

(3)The Imperial Ruling Council may decline to confirm a nomination where it considers the nominee unsuitable for office, and may in that event appoint a candidate of its own choosing in place of the Chief Justice’s nominee.

(4)Where the Chief Justice fails or declines to make a nomination within such period as the Imperial Ruling Council may specify, the Imperial Ruling Council may appoint a candidate of its own choosing to the vacancy.

(5)A decision of the Imperial Ruling Council under this section is final, and shall not be called into question in any proceeding.

(6)A judge of an Oversector Circuit Court may be removed from office where the Chief Justice, the presiding judge of the Oversector Circuit Court, or another competent official raises a concern as to the judge’s conduct or fitness for office, and the Imperial Ruling Council confirms the removal.

(7)The Imperial Ruling Council may, of its own motion, remove a judge of an Oversector Circuit Court from office.

(8)The Throne may remove a judge of an Oversector Circuit Court from office at will.

(9)A judge of an Oversector Circuit Court holds the rank of Arbiter, and the presiding judge of the Oversector Circuit Court the rank of Associate Justice, under the Imperial Rank Structure.

Section 21Continuation, Establishment and Composition

(1)The Supreme Court of the Galactic Empire continues, in unbroken existence, the same institution that sat as the Supreme Court of the Galactic Republic, and is the final appellate authority within the Imperial judiciary and the ultimate interpreter of Imperial law.

(2)The Supreme Court is seated in the Galactic Courts of Justice Building on Coruscant, and may utilise other facilities at the discretion of the Chief Justice.

(3)The Supreme Court consists of a Chief Justice and eleven Justices.

(4)The Chief Justice and each Justice shall be appointed by the Throne, and confirmed by the Imperial Ruling Council before the appointment takes effect.

(5)A Justice holds office for life, and may be removed only by the Throne, for cause.

(6)The Chief Justice presides over the Supreme Court, and has the casting vote in a matter upon which the Justices are evenly divided. The Chief Justice serves as the Head of the Judiciary of the Galactic Empire, and represents the interests of the judiciary to the Throne, the Imperial Ruling Council, and the wider Imperial Government.

(7)The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court holds the rank of Chief Justice, and each Justice of the Supreme Court holds the rank of Justice, under the Imperial Rank Structure.

(8)The Supreme Court has oversight and supervisory responsibilities for lower courts and the Judicial Department as set out in this Act. The Chief Justice may assign the Court’s responsibilities in this area to the other Justices of the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice deems appropriate.

Section 22Panels

(1)The Supreme Court shall sit in panels of three Justices for the determination of an appeal or a matter of original jurisdiction in the ordinary course.

(2)The full Court shall convene to determine a matter of galactic significance, including a matter referred to it under section 23(1)(e), and a matter which a panel considers ought to be determined by the full Court.

Section 23Jurisdiction

(1)The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over—

(a)a charge of high treason;

(b)a challenge to the validity of an Imperial decree under the Imperial Charter;

(c)a dispute between two or more Oversectors;

(d)a dispute between two or more sectors situated in different Oversectors, or between a Sector or Oversector and Imperial Centre;

(e)a dispute between two or more Ministries or other bodies of Imperial Centre referred to it by the Throne or by the Grand Vizier, in his capacity as the Head of the Imperial Government.

(2)The Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction over—

(a)an appeal from an Oversector Circuit Court, and, where no Oversector Circuit Court has jurisdiction over the matter, from a Sector Court of Justice;

(b)a matter concerning the interpretation of the Imperial Charter not falling within subsection (1)(b).

(3)The Supreme Court may decline to hear an appeal under subsection (2) where it considers the matter not to be of sufficient Imperial significance. A material inconsistency between the decisions of two or more Oversector Circuit Courts upon a question of Imperial law is, of itself, a ground of sufficient Imperial significance. A decision of the Supreme Court to decline an appeal is final.

(4)The jurisdiction conferred by subsection (1)(b) extends to the interpretation of an Imperial decree, and to whether it was validly made in accordance with the Imperial Charter and this Act; it does not extend to a challenge to the content of a validly made decree, and the Supreme Court has no authority to invalidate, suspend, or nullify such a decree.

Section 24Consolidation of Related Proceedings

(1)Where proceedings arising from substantially the same dispute under section 23(1)(c) or (d) are commenced by more than one party, or separate proceedings before the Supreme Court arise from substantially the same facts, the Court may consolidate them into a single proceeding.

(2)A Sector, an Oversector, or Imperial Centre is not required to await the commencement of proceedings by another party before petitioning the Court under section 23(1)(c) or (d).

Section 25Special Masters

(1)In a proceeding within its original jurisdiction under section 23(1), other than a charge of high treason, the Supreme Court may appoint a Special Master to take evidence, conduct hearings, and report to the Court with proposed findings of fact and recommended conclusions of law.

(2)A report of a Special Master under this section does not bind the Court. A party may file exceptions to the report, and the Court shall determine the proceeding upon the report, any exceptions, and such further argument as it directs.

(3)A Special Master appointed under this section shall be a person the Court considers suitably qualified, and need not be a judicial officer of a court established under this Act.

(4)The costs of a Special Master's appointment shall be borne by the parties in such proportion as the Court directs.

Section 26Non-Justiciable Matters

(1)The Supreme Court has no jurisdiction over the conduct of foreign relations, the recognition of a foreign government or power, the negotiation or conclusion of a treaty, or the deployment or disposition of Imperial armed forces, these matters being committed to the Throne.

(2)Subsection (1) does not exclude the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over a charge of high treason, a challenge to the validity of an Imperial decree, or any other matter otherwise falling within section 23, merely because the proceeding touches upon a matter of foreign relations or defence.

Section 27Advisory Opinions

At the request of the Throne or of the Imperial Ruling Council, the Supreme Court may issue an advisory opinion upon a question of constitutional importance, notwithstanding that no proceeding is pending before it.

Section 28Independence and Finality

(1)The Supreme Court is independent of the Senate and of the Ministries in the exercise of its judicial functions.

(2)A decision of the Supreme Court is binding throughout the Galactic Empire, and may be overturned only by direct Imperial decree, or by legislation of the Imperial Senate.

Section 29Establishment and Function

(1)There continues to be a Judicial Department, being the enforcement arm of the Imperial judiciary, responsible for the execution of a warrant, arrest order, or other legal directive issued by a court established under this Act.

(2)The Judicial Department shall assist a local, planetary, or Imperial law enforcement agency where petitioned by a court established under this Act, and may assist such an agency in a matter falling within Imperial jurisdiction.

(3)The Judicial Department shall maintain such precincts, equipment, and units as its functions under this section require.

Section 30Leadership

(1)The Judicial Department is led by the Provost Marshal, who shall be appointed by the Throne and confirmed by the Ministry of Justice.

(2)The Provost Marshal sets enforcement policy for the Judicial Department, and reports directly to the Supreme Court.

(3)A Regional Judicial Marshal commands the Judicial Department’s forces within an Oversector, and a sector-level commander is responsible for the day-to-day operations of, and Court-directed missions within, a sector.

Section 31Independence

The Judicial Department is independent of the Senate and of the Ministries in the exercise of its enforcement functions, save that the appointment of the Provost Marshal is confirmed as provided by section 30(1). However, the Judicial Department may be subject to inquiry by the Senate or its committees.

Section 32Exclusion of Military Matters

(1)Nothing in this Act applies to offences under military law, or to proceedings within the jurisdiction of Imperial High Command, which shall continue to be governed by such instruments as Imperial High Command may prescribe, and no court established under this Act has jurisdiction over such a matter.

(2)Notwithstanding subsection (1), where a person not subject to military law is convicted by a court-martial or other military tribunal, that person may appeal the conviction or sentence to the Supreme Court.

Section 33Reserve Power

(1)Nothing in this Act limits the power of the Throne to establish, suspend, alter, or dissolve any court or the Judicial Department referred to in this Act, or to vary its jurisdiction or functions, by decree.

(2)A decree made under this section has effect notwithstanding any provision of this Act, and no court established under this Act may enquire into its validity.

Section 34Remedial Powers

(1)A court established under this Act may, in a proceeding properly before it, grant such final relief as the justice of the case requires, including damages, restitution, a permanent injunction, a declaration, or an order of specific performance, together with such further order as is reasonably necessary to give effect to its judgment.

(2)Nothing in this section limits the interim relief available under section 38.

Section 35Sentencing

(1)A court established under this Act imposing sentence following conviction shall do so in accordance with the Imperial Code of Justice, and nothing in this Act limits or duplicates the sentencing principles, classes of punishment, or procedures established by that Code.

(2)Where an Imperial District Court imposes a sentence of death, the matter shall be automatically transmitted to the Sector Court of Justice for review, whether or not the convicted person appeals, in fulfilment of the automatic appellate review the Imperial Code of Justice requires for such a sentence.

(3)A sentence of death shall not be imposed by a judge sitting alone, and shall be imposed only by a panel of judges convened in accordance with the provisions of this Act or rules of court, as appropriate.

Section 36Appellate Powers

(1)A court exercising appellate jurisdiction under this Act may affirm, reverse, or vary the decision under appeal, order a new trial, or remand the matter to the court from which the appeal was brought, with such direction as it considers appropriate.

(2)A court to which a matter is remanded under subsection (1) shall determine it in accordance with the directions given, without prejudice to a further appeal from the decision made on remand.

Section 37Contempt

(1)A court established under this Act may punish for contempt a person who wilfully disobeys its order, or who wilfully obstructs, insults, or interferes with the court in the exercise of its functions.

(2)A punishment under this section shall be no more than is necessary to secure compliance with the court’s order or the due administration of justice, and is itself subject to appeal in the same manner as any other decision of the court.

Section 38Interim Relief

(1)A court established under this Act may, on the application of a party, grant such interim relief as is necessary to preserve the position of the parties pending the final determination of a matter properly before it, including an order staying, restraining, or requiring an act.

(2)Interim relief granted under this section lapses upon the final determination of the matter, or upon such earlier date as the court granting it may specify, and does not itself determine any question in the matter.

(3)An order for interim relief may be varied or discharged by the court that made it, or, on appeal, by the court to which an appeal from that court’s final determination would lie.

Section 39Interpleader

(1)Where a person holds property or funds claimed by two or more other persons, and is or may be exposed to multiple or inconsistent claims to it, that person may apply to the Imperial District Court having jurisdiction to compel the claimants to interplead, and may pay the property or funds into the custody of the Court pending determination of their respective claims.

(2)Upon an application under subsection (1), the Court may restrain a claimant from pursuing a separate proceeding against the applicant respecting the same property or funds.

(3)A person who has paid property or funds into the custody of the Court under this section, and who claims no interest of their own in it, is discharged from further liability to a claimant upon that payment.

Section 40Recusal

(1)A judicial officer of a court established under this Act shall not sit in a proceeding in which the officer has a personal or financial interest, or in which a reasonable person would doubt the officer’s impartiality.

(2)A judicial officer to whom subsection (1) applies shall recuse from the proceeding of the officer’s own motion; a party may also apply to the court for the officer’s recusal.

(3)Where recusal under this section leaves a court without a judge, or a panel without its full complement, section 42 applies.

Section 41Escalation Powers

(1)The powers under sections 15(2) and 19(2) exist to secure the consistent and efficient administration of Imperial justice in a matter of genuine severity, value, complexity, or profile, and not to satisfy the personal interest of an individual judge in a particular case.

(2)The Supreme Court may issue guidelines governing the exercise of the powers under sections 15(2) and 19(2), and a Sector Court of Justice or an Oversector Circuit Court shall exercise those powers in accordance with any guidelines so issued.

(3)Section 40 applies to the decision to exercise a power under section 15(2) or 19(2), and to the determination of a matter transferred under either subsection, as it applies to any other proceeding.

Section 42Vacancies and Temporary Assignment

(1)Where a court established under this Act does not have a sufficient number of judicial officers to constitute a quorum, whether by reason of vacancy, recusal, incapacity, or the reorganisation of a court under section 33, the Supreme Court may assign a judicial officer of an equivalent or superior rank from another court to sit temporarily, or may direct that a pending matter be heard by another court of equivalent jurisdiction.

(2)The quorum of the Supreme Court is not fewer than five Justices to constitute the full Court, and not fewer than three to constitute a panel; the quorum of another court established under this Act is the number of judicial officers this Act otherwise requires to constitute it, maintained if necessary by assignment under subsection (1).

(3)Nothing in this section affects a right of appeal, or the precedential effect of a decision properly made under this section.

Section 43Precedent

(1)A decision of the Supreme Court upon a question of Imperial law binds every other court established under this Act.

(2)A decision of an Oversector Circuit Court upon a question of Imperial law binds a Sector Court of Justice and an Imperial District Court within its Oversector, until the Supreme Court determines otherwise.

(3)A decision of a Sector Court of Justice upon a question of Imperial law binds an Imperial District Court within its sector, until the Oversector Circuit Court or the Supreme Court determines otherwise.

(4)Where the decisions of two or more Sector Courts of Justice within the same Oversector conflict upon a question of Imperial law, and no decision of that Oversector’s Circuit Court resolves the conflict, an Imperial District Court shall follow the decision of the Sector Court of Justice within its own sector; the conflict is not otherwise resolved except by a decision of the Oversector Circuit Court or the Supreme Court.

Section 44Classified Evidence

In a proceeding before a court established under this Act concerning a charge of high treason under section 23(1)(a), an offence against the security of the Galactic Empire under section 7(1)(f), or any other matter touching Imperial security, the Procurator of Justice, on behalf of the Galactic Empire, may decline to disclose evidence the disclosure of which may prejudice Imperial security. The court shall determine the proceeding on the evidence properly before it, and shall draw no adverse inference from the non-disclosure.

Section 45Rules of Court

The Supreme Court may make rules of procedure for itself and for the courts established under Parts III, V, and VI of this Act, including rules governing the form and timing of a petition for removal under section 9.