Chiss Constitution

The Chiss Constitution is the primary legal document of the Chiss Ascendancy. It covers the core Chiss Institutions and their roles in Chiss Society.

Background

The Chiss Constitution has its roots in the Chiss Charter, which led to the first modern Chiss Senate.The Charter was criticized for allowing House Sabosen to rule over Chiss Society as constitutional monarchs.

Two factions were instrumental in shaping the final draft. The first being the traditionalists who wanted to preserve elements of the Chiss Charter which protected the traditional chiss institutions, and the moderates, who wanted a bill of rights and protection from unlimited power by a single Chiss House.

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From this day forward we, the Council of Families, acknowledge the Terms of Governance set forth by the people of Csilla and declare the founding of a new Chiss Ascendancy. The Ascendancy henceforth will commit itself to upholding the historical, cultural, and social Chiss values of the past whilst operating under the acknowledgement that we must do so in a current social and economical sphere.

We hereby ratify this document for the growth and stability of Csilla, the Csilla system, and subsequent colonies in the name of the Ascendancy and the Chiss people.

Signed,

Council of Families

Section One: Government

Article One:Council of Families

1.1 The Council of Families shall be the primary executive body of the Chiss Ascendancy.

1.1a The Council of Families shall consist of the Aristocra of the Ruling Houses as defined under Article Three.

1.1b The Council of Families will embody the roles of Head of State and Head of Government.

1.2 Any Law, Act, or Motion passed by the Chiss Parliament will be enacted when three quarters (3/4) of the Council are in agreement.

1.3 Exiled Houses, as defined under Article Three, shall not be granted a seat on the Council of Families.

1.4 A Ruling House Aristocra cannot be a dual citizen, and must rescind all non-Ascendancy affiliations and Citizenships upon elevation to the rank of Aristocra.

1.5 The Council may elect one of its members to serve as Grand Aristocra. The Grand Aristocra has the ability to break ties within the Council and represents the Council in the Chiss Cabinet.The Grand Aristocra serves until death, resignation, or No Confidence Vote from the Council.

1.6 The Council reserves the right to authorize 'Council Directives'. A Council Directive remains in effect for 30 days and must be reauthorized every 30 days thereafter.

1.6a A Council Directive may be challenged on Constitutionality by any Citizen in the Judicial Circuit, and declared void if found to be unconstitutional.

Article Two: Chiss Parliament

2.1 The Chiss Parliament is the sole legislature of the Chiss Ascendancy.

2.1a The Chiss Parliament shall comprise of a House Chamber of Aristocra from all Legal Chiss Houses, and a Chiss Senate, of elected Senators.

2.1b A Chiss House Representative, or Aristocra, cannot be a Senator.

2.1c The House Aristocra is chosen from among the Houses Blood-born as defined in Article Three.

2.1d The Senator is elected from among the active citizenry for a term of ninety (90) days.

2.1e The number of Senators is set by an Act of Parliament, and cannot be less than three(3).

2.1f The Senator cannot be removed prior to their full term bar the following circumstances:

• Resignation from Parliament, House Membership, or the Chiss Ascendancy.
• A substantial period of inactivity or leave of absence.
• Found guilty of violating Chiss Law.

2.1g The Senators are the top x candidates who receive the most votes, where x is the number of Senators set by Parliament.

2.1h Candidates may run a campaign lasting no loner than fourteen(14) days, with the first seven being the deadline for candidacy declarations. The Campaign period will not count towards the Term limit.

2.2 Should a Senator be removed due to circumstances as defined in 2.1f, the Judicial Circuit shall hold a special election to fill the seat.

2.3 The Chiss Parliament elects a Chancellor who serves as a Presiding Officer for a term of one-hundred and fifty (150) days.

2.3a The Chancellor cannot be an Aristocra of a Ruling House or the Commanding Officer of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force.

2.3b The Chancellor cannot be Crahsyndic.

2.3c The Chancellor cannot be removed prior to their full term bar the following circumstances:

• Resignation from Parliament, House Membership, or the Chiss Ascendancy.
• A substantial period of inactivity or leave of absence.
• Found guilty of violating Chiss Law.

2.4 Each Senator or Aristocra shall have one vote on any proposed legislative action.Voting shall last for 14 days.

2.5 A legislative action becomes law when passed a majority vote of the Chiss Parliament.

Article Three: Houses

3.1 The Chiss Ascendancy will retain the tradition of Families; known henceforth as Houses.

3.2 The Chiss Parliament will determine the influence of each House by their Virtue of Service.

3.2a Virtue of Service is defined as a measurement of contribution to the Ascendancy. If enough capital is accumulated to form an organisation to work completely and utterly for the benefit of the Ascendancy with no ties to any form of illegal activity, then they have fulfilled their Virtue of Service and to be considered a Ruling House.

3.3 Each Chiss House must oversee at least one department or subdepartment of the Ascendancy, which it will include in its Request for Recognition.

3.3a In order for a Chiss House to be recognized it must have at least 3 members who are good standing with the Chiss Ascendancy.

3.3b A Chiss House Must have an Aristocra and heir who are Chiss to retain recognition.

3.3c A Chiss House that cannot perform its oversight duty is declared inactive.

3.3d A Chiss House may organize the structure, ranks,staff and responsibilities of any departments they oversee.

3.3e No House is permitted to oversee either the Chiss Sages, the Chiss Parliament,or any subdivisions therein.

3.3f A House's Specialization must be approved by the Council of Families.

3.4 Any Chiss of the Ascendancy can establish their own House and subsequent bloodline through their own Merit of Power.

3.4a Merit of Power is defined as the legitimate accumulation of influence by a House. This should be any measure which benefits one House without penalizing another. The practice of "poaching" is prohibited, but citizens may leave one House to join another under a legal transfer process.

3.5 All Houses will adopt the traditional Chiss ranking structure, defined as follows:

• Aristocra - House Patron
• Syndic - House Commander of the House Phalanx, Quartermaster, and Regent.
• Blood Born - Relations and Heirs to the Aristocra
• Trial Born - Proven Members of Non-relation.
• Merit Adoptive - New and Unproven Members of Non-relation.

3.5a House Ranking shall not be mutually exclusive with a citizens rank within the Government, nationalized organisation, or association; Thus, a citizen's chosen House does not determine their branch of expertise or choice of employment.

Section Two: Judicature

Article Four: Judicial Circuit

4.1 The Judicial Circuit shall be the supreme Judicial Authority of the Chiss Ascendancy

4.2 The Judicial Circuit consists of three(3) Judiciars appointed and confirmed by a vote of 2/3 majority of the Parliament.

4.3 Judiciars must be Chiss and cannot be a Senator.

4.4 A Justiciar may be removed by a Parliamentary Vote of No Confidence.

4.5 The Judicial Circuit may nullify case outcomes of House Courts, CEDF Court Martial, Other lower courts, and even its own rulings after a review of the case.

4.6 The Judicial Circuit may rule on a disputed Aristocracy(right to lead a Chiss House).

4.7 The Judicial Circuit shall oversee all Senate elections.

Article Five: Legal Process

5.1 The Judicial Circuit shall appoint a Justiciar to serve as Judge for the trial. The Judicial Circuit shall also appoint an Advocate to represent the Prosecution. The Accused and Prosecution can name whomever they wish as their advocate, as long as that individual is in good standing with the Chiss Ascendancy. In the case that the accused is unable to obtain an advocate, the Judicial Circuit shall appoint one.

5.2 The Justiciar will propose whether the trial be held via holonet or in an available courtroom. Once both Advocates agree on a format and start date, the trial begins.

5.3 The Justiciar informs the accused of the charge(s) against them. If the accused pleads “guilty”, then the Justiciar will inform the accused of their punishment. If they plead “Not Guilty”, the trial will go to the next stage.

5.4 When a Justiciar receives a case, they will determine if a trial is required. If so, then both advocates will present their evidence.

5.5 Once the trial proceeds, both Advocates take turns Presenting their evidence. After opening statements, they may call witnesses. If they call witnesses, they will take turns questioning them. After the Advocate who called the witness speaks to them, then the other Advocate may question the witness.The trial is closed by each advocate making a closing argument. The Justiciar reviews the trial and all evidence and renders a verdict on each specific charge.

5.6 All trials will be recorded. Any trials whose contents are deemed classified will be declassified after three months, unless overridden by the Judicial Circuit. The declassification process can only be extended to one year after end of the trial at maximum.

5.7 If the Prosecution in the case is the Chiss Ascendancy government, then their Advocate is known as the State Advocate.

5.8 The Death Penalty is prohibited as a form of punishment for any crimes.

5.9 The Highest Punishments are to be Life Imprisonment or Exile.

5.9a The Transport of Prisoners is to be handled by the CEDF.

5.9b A Citizen who is Exiled is transported to Non-Chiss Territory, removed from all Chiss communication channels and forbidden to return.

5.9c No Citizen may trade or communicate with an Exiled Person without permission from the Council of Families.

5.9d An entire House may only be exiled by a 2/3 majority vote of Parliament. An Exiled House loses its votes in parliament and all of its members lose citizenship.

5.9e Members of an Exiled House other than the Aristocra may appeal their exile before the Judicial Circuit. Their citizenship is restored if they are found not guilty and they join a Non-Exiled Chiss House.

Section Three: Amendments and Legislation

Article Six: Law Creation

6.1 All Laws must originate in the Chiss Senate.

6.2 Any Senator may a support new Act, Law, or Motion by declaring 'Second'.

6.2a An Aristocra may also declare 'Second', so long as they are of a different House than the originating Senator.

6.3 Any Law, Act or Motion passes when approved by the Chiss Senate and the House Chamber, unless vetoed by the Council of Families.

6.4 A new Law, Act, or Motion may suspend or abolish an existing Law, Act, or Motion.

Article Seven: Amendments

7.1 Amendments shall only be proposed by an Aristocra or House Syndic, if granted by their Aristocra.

7.2 An Aristocra may declare support for an Amendment by declaring 'Second'.

7.3 A Proposed Amendment becomes law when passed by the majority of the Parliament

7.3a Only the House Chamber may vote on Amendments, which pass upon majority vote, and can only be vetoed by the Council of Families.

Section Four: Rights and Citizenship

Article Eight: Terms of Citizenship

8.1 All Chiss shall be treated with equal rights within the Chiss Ascendancy regardless of their affiliations and/or employment.

8.1a A 'Dual Citizenship' program will be available to Chiss working under a foreign Government and/or a foreign nationalized faction.

8.1b The faction in question must be in favourable diplomatic standing with the Ascendancy.

8.2 The Chiss Ascendancy will not distinguish Chiss from Non-Chiss Citizens in terms of their basic rights.

Article Nine: Rights of Citizenship

9.1 The Chiss Ascendancy will abide by the 'Isnin`tsezetahah' -

• 1) All Citizens have the right to practice of their Religion.
• 2) All Citizens have the freedoms of speech and assembly.
• 3.)Citizens are entitled to protection from all who would aggress on their rights, personal freedoms, property, or life.
• 4.)No House or other body may create or enact any law which abridges the privileges or immunities of a Citizen of the Chiss Ascendancy, nor may they deny a Citizen the natural rights of life, freedom, or property without due process of law.
• 5.)All Citizens have the right to be tried on equal standing in an expedient fashion. They shall be protected from cruel and unusual punishment and, except in matters of Courts-martial, protected from double jeopardy.
• 6)All Citizens have the right to legal representation, and to participate in the law-making process as allowed.
• 7)All Citizens have the right to petition for and receive both material and immaterial aid from the Chiss Ascendancy.
• 8) The rights listed in this document do not serve to deny or modify other rights that are held by Citizens, they are mentioned either as limitation of power or as a measure of caution, and are not comprehensive.

Section Five: Additional Powers

Article Ten:Chiss Cabinet

10.1 Daily management of the Chiss Ascendancy shall be the responsibility of the Chiss Cabinet.

10.2 The Chiss Cabinet consists of leaders of various Departments of the Chiss Ascendancy. 10.2a Each Department with a Cabinet seat is staffed by whomever is selected by the Chiss House which oversees it. 10.2b Cabinet seats are granted by the Council of Families.

10.3 No Departments may be created,dissolved or merged without the approval of the Council of Families.

10.4 The Grand Sage of the Chiss Sages is granted a Non-Voting seat to consult on matters related to the Force. 10.4a The Grand Sage may organize the structure,ranks, and staff of the Chiss Sages as they see fit. 10.4b A Grand Sage may only be removed by the Council of Families and must be Chiss. 10.4c The Chiss Sages are the sole Force Organisation of the Chiss Ascendancy, but members may be permitted to join or retain membership in any other Force Organisations.

10.5 The Chiss Cabinet is also responsible for assigning Chiss territory to be managed by Colonial Syndics. 10.5a A Colonial Syndic may appoint an Assistant Syndic as a primary aide. 10.5b Colonial Syndics command Colonial Phalanxes, which are teams of Combat Engineers and Pilots that protect Chiss Colonies.

Article Eleven:CEDF

11.1 The CEDF is the military of the Chiss Ascendancy and must be commanded by a Chiss.

11.2 The Supreme Commander of the CEDF is appointed by the Council of Families and serves until death,resignation, or removal by the Council of Families. 11.2a The Supreme Commander may organize the structure,ranks, and staff of the CEDF as they see fit.

11.3 The Supreme Commander of the CEDF manages the CEDF with the support of the Defense Hierarchy. 11.3a Appointments to the Defense Hierarchy must be approved by the Chiss Parliament. 11.3b Only the Director of Asrallka and the Crahsyndic may be appointed without consulting Parliament. 11.3cThe identity of the Asrallka Director is known only to the Council of Families and the Supreme Commander of the CEDF.

11.4 The Crahsyndic oversees logistics for the CEDF and serves until death, resignation or removal by superiors. 11.4a The Crahsyndic may call up one or more Colonial Phalanxes to augment a CEDF operation at the request of the Defense Hierarchy.

Ratified Year 14 Day 129

Amended Year 15 Day 36

Amended Year 15 Day 320

Amended Year 16 Day 272