Case No. 23N-55671, Year 49

Defendant Ernine activated a trans-dimensional device to swap his body with a version of himself from a recently diverged parallel universe. Defendant, or an alternate version of Defendant, was then caught on holovideo surveillance stalking and stabbing a victim ten times on planet Jarandis. Two hours after the victim succumbed to her injuries, Defendant activated the device again, allegedly to restore the original version of himself.

Judge Arhorn’s verdict

Not guilty. Evidence shows Defendant did not perpetrate the crime at issue, as another person with substantially identical attributes committed the crime. Additionally, there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Defendant for any purported equivalent crime in the parallel universe.

J.O.C. ruling

Judge Arhorn applied reasonable judgment, but arrived at a faulty verdict. Due to the recent divergence of the parallel universe, we estimate with 95% certainty Defendant must have also perpetrated the same murder in the parallel universe. Therefore, although Defendant is not responsible for the crime at issue, Gatarn law dictates that Defendant must be punished for the equivalent crime he did commit.

For failing to apply proper judicial procedure, Judge Arhorn is sentenced to Judicial Retraining Penitentiary for three years.

• • • •

Case No. 24Q-13151, Year 53

Defendant Prilotine produced a laser rifle at Krong Disability Benefits Group and allegedly fired at a group of executives, resulting in the death of the Group President and the Senior Director of Cost Reduction. Defendant then attempted to escape through a teleporter, but the teleporter suffered a critical malfunction and split Defendant into two persons, each with a distinct set of memories. Defendant Prime retained memories from the most recent five years. Defendant Secunde lost all memories from the last five years, and has no recollection of how they became disabled, what benefits they were provided or denied, or the alleged crime at issue.

Judge Arhorn’s verdict

Defendant Prime is guilty, and is sentenced to thirty-five years on Penal Colony 23. Defendant Secunde is not guilty, as they cannot be reasonably determined to be the person that committed this crime, and is subject to probation with thought monitoring for a duration of three years.

J.O.C. ruling

Judge Arhorn correctly ruled on Defendant Prime, but applied undue lenience when determining the sentence to be served. Additionally, the verdict for Defendant Secunde has been overruled, as they are the same person as the one that committed the crime. Lack of memory of a crime is not a valid defense. Both Defendant Prime and Defendant Secunde are hereby sentenced to life on Penal Colony 23.

Due to a pattern of applying improperly lenient judgments, Judge Arhorn must report to the Behavioral Modification Center to be fitted with an empathy inhibitor implant.

• • • •

Case No. 25C-49866, Year 54

Defendant Jaran downloaded and injected a temporary personality patch at a benefits gala, which altered her DNA and brain function. Due to a security vulnerability, a third party purportedly hacked into the patch to corrupt the personality and brain wave modifications. Defendant then stole rocket fuel from a mining ship, purportedly to send it to the aforementioned third party, and modified the ship’s fuel sensors to hide the theft. The mining ship was subsequently found stranded in space with its crew of eight deceased. Defendant’s theft of the missing fuel was determined to be the proximate cause of their deaths.

Judge Arhorn’s verdict

Guilty. There is no evidence that the third party’s hack caused Defendant to commit this crime, and Defendant’s actions to obfuscate the crime directly led to the deaths of the eight victims. Defendant is sentenced to full sensory deprivation in solitary confinement for three years.

J.O.C. ruling

Although Judge Arhorn’s guilty verdict was correct, the sentence applied was unduly punitive for a person of Defendant’s status. The appropriate sentence has been deemed to be six months of house arrest to be served at Defendant’s summer villa on planet Jarandis.

Reassigning Judge Arhorn to Penal Colony 23, where more punitive sentences are acceptable.

• • • •

Case No. 30Z-00156, Year 56

Defendant Arhorn served as a judge on Penal Colony 23 for two years before a penal prisoner attacked and maimed her for previously sentencing aforementioned prisoner to the penal colony. Defendant requested disability leave, but Krong Disability Benefits Group denied her claims. Defendant subsequently incited a violent attack on the Gatarn governor general’s office on Penal Colony 23. During the attack, other members of the uprising learned Defendant was a former judge and killed her.

Judge Jaran Sr.’s verdict

Guilty. Defendant is sentenced to one hundred years in newly established Penal Colony 24 for sedition. However, Defendant is deceased, so this sentence is suspended. In the event that future technology allows the resuscitation of deceased persons, Defendant will serve out the duration of her sentence at that time.

J.O.C. ruling

Although Defendant is deceased, posthumous punishment is allowed under Gatarn law for crimes of sedition, which applies in this case. Defendant’s consciousness will be immediately revived in a penal simulation and sentenced to one hundred years in virtual prison. If Defendant is found guilty of additional crimes during that simulated period, their sentence will be extended accordingly.

• • • •

Post-lecture notes for Introduction to Intergalactic Law & Civilization

The Gatarn Empire effectively quashed crime for several decades, but they later developed a shortage of qualified judges. After the implementation of the J.O.C., the number of penal colonies tripled in just twenty years. The empire was later overthrown by a coordinated revolution among their penal colonies in Year 83.

Ask students to consider: What were the direct and indirect effects of implementing the Judicial Oversight Council and how did that impact law and order in the Gatarn Empire?

Further assigned reading: peer arbitration procedures in Theros Anarchist Collective.