DB vs Blade was the first case tried by the recreated Chamber of Justice after the Brotherhood's split from the Emperor's Hammer - reformed under Grand Master Firefox. The sitting Justicar was Keirdagh Taldrya Cantor, the Right Hand of Justice was Jac Cotelin, and the Left Hand of Justice was Astronicus Aurelius Sadow.
Basic Case Information
Defendants Name
Charges
- Gross disrespect
- Inflammatory comments
- Derogatory comments
Verdict
Sentence
Case Summary
During the initial turmoil surrounding the Brotherhood's split from the Emperor's Hammer, Cannabisia was on an email chain with members of Clan Arcona discussing who would be staying with the EH and who would be leaving with the DB. The leader of the EH, Grand Admiral Ronin, chimed in on this thread and Cannabisia sent a response that many people felt crossed the line to personal attack, and many also believe directly led to the banning of all DB members from all EH communications. His actions were reported to the Grand Master and he was brought before the Chamber of Justice. The prosecution and defense both put forward arguments to a jury, who deliberated and came back with a verdict of guilty on all charges. Cannabisia was demoted two ranks, banned from all IRC channels and the message boards for three months, and given four months probation.
Related News Posts
News Post #1
Posted By Keirdagh Taldrya Cantor - 5/6/2003
Chamber of Justice Communique #001
As I have posted below, those who act lawlessly will not go unpunished. As many of you have heard, DJK Blade of Arcona has been accused of committing various crimes. The Chamber of Justice has been alerted to this, and has posted the following email and notice to him:
To: Dark Jedi Knight Blade Cannabisia
From: Justicar Keirdagh Cantor
CC: Hands of Justice Drako and Jac Cotelin
Topic: The Brotherhood vs. Dark Jedi Knight Blade Cannabisia
Dark Jedi Knight Blade Cannabisia, we the Chamber of Justice are hereby informing you of the charges that it and the Brotherhood of Dark Jedi are laying upon you. It is your right to respond to this email without fear of its contents being published to the membership as a whole. However, your response should include a plea of not guilty or guilty.
Due to the seriousness of the charges against you, you are to be put on disciplinary probation immediately. This implies that you will hereby be banned from all official Brotherhood channels until the completion of your trial has come about. You are also hereby temporarily relieved of any duties, and being allowed to participate in any Brotherhood sanctioned events or competitions. Additionally, we the Chamber of Justice would encourage you to discontinue any discussions or communications that may be contrary to your own best interests, and would only serve to further hinder your position in front of the Chamber of Justice.
I, the Justicar, will now read the charges against you.
Knight Cannabisia, to these charges how do you plead? Please respond to the Chamber of Justice within 3 days of receiving this email.
You will all have surely noticed that I have not posted what charges are being laid to Blade right now. That is to protect his right to have a fair trial, without having the people of the Brotherhood pre-judge him. The charges laid against Blade are that of a private matter until the case has come to a close.
DA Keirdagh Cantor (Sith)/JST/Chamber of Justice
News Post #2
Posted By Keirdagh Taldrya Cantor - 7/15/2003
Chamber of Justice Communique #002
The following email was just sent out to the defendant and his superiors. I submit it to you, the Brotherhood as public record.
Knight Cannabisia,
After an exhaustive process, and one which I believe we can all say we are happy is finally over, I come to you today to read the verdict of your trial to you.
On the charge of "Gross disrespect to another member of an online gaming club" the jury finds the defendant guilty as charged.
On the charge of "Inflammatory comments causing added hardship on the relations between the Dark Brotherhood and another online gaming Club" the jury was unable to reach a verdict.
On the charge of "Insensitive and derogatory comments concerning another person's race/religion/ethnicity" the defendant pleaded Guilty.
After receiving the suggested sentences from both counselors, I have determined the following punishment should be accorded to Knight Cannabisia.
- Knight Cannabisia is sentenced to banishment from #DB and the DB Message Boards for a period of: time already served.
- Knight Cannabisia is to be demoted to the rank of Jedi Hunter.
- Knight Cannabisia is hereby placed on a state of probation for a period of four months starting effective immediately.
I need remind the defendant that any further transgressions in this period of probation will be looked upon most harshly by the Chamber of Justice and the Justicar. Any rule-breaking will result in severe penalties.
In Service,
Dark Adept Keirdagh Cantor, Justicar of the Brotherhood
Justicar's Opinion
- At this point in Chamber history, the Justicar did not issue opinions on cases.
Points of Interest
This was the first case the Chamber of Justice dealt with, and the first handled by Justicar Keirdagh Taldrya Cantor. Members who are familiar with the Judicial Procedures used by the Chamber today may notice some differences in the process. To begin with, at this point in Chamber history the Hand's of Justice had not yet settled into their current roles as prosecutor and defender. Instead they both were assistants to the Chamber, although Right Hand Jac Cotelin did serve as prosecutor in this specific case. In addition, the charges leveled against the defendant may seem foreign - which is because they were made up by the Justicar. At the time, the Dark Covenant did not yet exist, nor had the "Official Rules and Regulations of the Dark Brotherhood" (which served as behavioral guidelines until the Covenant was authored) been written.
This case was also a starting point for many Chamber procedures that are still in use today. The Notification of Charges, in which the Chamber emails the defendant notifying him of what charges have been leveled against him and asking him to plea, was started in this case. In addition, the first jury was put together for this case, which led to some of the methods still used today in random jury selection. The Justicar also issued the first two Chamber of Justice Communiques during this trial, which have become the staple method of Chamber declarations. The Right Hand Jac Cotelin's serving as prosecution lead to the idea that each Hand of Justice should have a specific function during trials (namely prosecutor and defense counsel). Finally, the first Letter of Reprimand was given as part of the sentence for this case, setting the precedent for an "LoR" to be given with every guilty verdict.