| 6 August 2015 Edition / TAC, Hopolis out in High Court |
Published 6 August 2015
Editorial Note This is the first edition of the newly revived South Pacific Independent News Network, under new editorial leadership and direction. We will strive to follow the independent nature of previous incarnations, with one notable change. The new SPINN practices editorial anonymity. We believe that the content is more important than who writes it. Oftentimes in NationStates, discussions are dominated by personalities and the personal grudges and nonsense that come with them. The story gets drowned out in ad hominem attacks and musing about the authors. We wish to cut through this tendency and highlight what really matters. We are always looking for new contributors! If you are interested in writing as a regular contributor or have an interesting story you want to write as a guest contributor, please send a telegram to South Pacific News or a PM to SPINN on the official TSP forums. TAC, Hopolis out in High Court Justice Hopolis announced August 3, 2015, her resignation from the High Court of The South Pacific, the second such resignation to follow after accusations of judicial misconduct surfaced the previous weekend. Chief Justice TAC Saxton resigned the day before, stating “the administration is the true judicial system and the High Court is nothing more than a figurehead that the administration uses for their own gain.” The last remaining member of the court, Justice Apad, is under fire for allegedly participating in the deliberations and writing of an opinion for which he then went on to serve as appellate judge. While Apad has not been formally found guilty, the evidence presented to several Cabinet members by current Minister of Regional Affairs Kris Kringle and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Glen-Rhodes shows that Justice Apad acknowledged his improper role as appellate judge in private conversation with his colleagues. Filling a new High Court The Charter of The South Pacific allows the Cabinet to appoint judicial positions if the vacancies occur within the month prior to the next scheduled elections. Former Vice-Delegate Sam111 and Bonaugure have been tapped to fill in two of three empty seats. The Cabinet announced that deliberations for filling the remaining seat were ongoing. It is unclear why all three seats weren’t appointed at the same time. The Assembly must appoint an Acting Justice to replace Justice Apad, who was automatically recused from the criminal case brought against him. Potential replacements include Rebeltopia, former Vice Delegate Sam111, Aramanchovia, and Brutland and Norden. No vote has yet been scheduled in the Assembly, raising questions of if the Assembly would rather a new High Court take on the case instead. Administration whistleblowing What a few have been calling a constitutional crisis was triggered by administrators Kris Kringle and Glen-Rhodes sharing their knowledge of the alleged judicial misconduct to their Cabinet colleagues. Debate has begun to spark in the region about whether this was appropriate or an abuse of administrative authority. Glen-Rhodes defended his actions, while noting that he did not initially share any information until he saw other Cabinet members already knew: “At the end of the day, we are all answerable to our own consciences. When the evidence of wrongdoing is being held secret by the wrongdoers, but we know about it, what are we to do?” Kris Kringle and Glen-Rhodes have both acknowledged a need to discuss the ethical issues of administrators acting on content they see through their administrative permissions. The High Court was asked several times by Kris Kringle to release the relevant threads to the public. However, the Justices refused to do so, and also refused to directly answer any questions regarding Justice Apad’s role in the deliberations. This lack of cooperation was cited by Farengeto, current Chair of the Assembly and former Chief Justice, when he filed criminal judicial misconduct charges against Justice Apad. Judicial elections underway in midst of controversy The criminal case against Justice Apad sits in limbo until the Cabinet finalizes its judicial appointments. Meanwhile, the scheduled judicial elections started at 1:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time on August 2, 2015, an hour later than originally planned due to “unforeseen events.” So far, Justice Apad, former Justice Hopolis, and former Chief Justice TAC Saxton have not been nominated for re-election, nor have they nominated themselves. The two resigning Justices have announced their intentions of letting their citizenship lapse. Current nominees for the High Court are ProfessorHenn, the former Minister of the Army, Ryccia, Darkstrait, and newcomer Sean Nadasky. All four judicial seat are up for election. Voting will begin August 8. ProfessorHenn resigns as General In a surprising announcement, long-time leader of the South Pacific Special Forces, ProfessorHenn, has resigned all of his positions within the SPSF, including his role as General. The former candidate for Delegate refused to explain his snap resignation, saying in the short post, “For reasons I don't feel like explaining, I resign all SPSF positions. Effective immediately.” Although he cites a lack of time to dedicate to the SPSF, his recent appointment as Director of the Foreign Service, a new role created by incoming Minister of Foreign Affairs Hileville, may be a reason for his departure from the military. This marks a significant blow to the beleaguered Generals program. ProfessorHenn has been recognized as one of the SPSF’s most valuable assets, and his resignation as General could point to declining fortunes for a military that is often criticized for poor performance and low recruitment numbers. This also leaves the military with only one out of its three required Generals. News Highlights
Rather well done. Props to the author.
Cynosurian Councillor of Brilliance |
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