Magistracies

VII. Magistracies

    All magistracies are held for one-year terms, except for the censors,
    which are held for four years. At the discretion of the Senate or 
    presiding Consul, Magistracies may be pro-rogued, or extended, beyond
    the one-year limit. This shall generally be reserved for consuls or
    praetors who are acting as governors of a province, or who are
    executing a war.

   **Imperium**

    Magistrates with positions that have Imperium shall be assumed to
    own the authority of their office and cannot be disputed or denied,
    provided they are acting within the limits of the office.  The
    following magistracies possess 'imperium' (in decreasing order of
    authority): Dictator, Consul, Master of the Horse, Justice, Steward
    of the City.

    Imperium shall be granted for one year only, and any extension of such
    shall be approved by the senate and/or the people. The symbol of
    Imperium shall be the fasces, borne by the Lictors bound to the
    office.

   **Magistracies**

    **Tribunes of the Soldiers**
    Twenty-four young people shall be elected by the entire assembly to
    serve as legally elected officers of the army. Six shall be assigned
    to each legion of the consuls. This position is pre-senatorial.

   **Quaestor**
    A person may hold quaestorship before or after entering the Senate, 
    but they have to be age 30 to do so. There are twelve such positions 
    available. The quaestor's primary responsibilities are fiscal. He
    might be seconded to the Treasury, or to collecting customs or port
    duties, or to collecting rent for state-owned lands either at home or
    abroad, or to managing the finances of a province.

    **Steward of the City**
    The Steward of the City shall be responsible for public buildings,
    public works, and archive of public documents. The Steward shall also
    oversee the care of streets, water supply, drains and sewers, traffic,
    public buildings, monuments, facilities, markets, weights and measures,
    games, and the public grain supply. The Steward shall have the power
    to fine citizens and non-citizens for breaking any regulations having
    to do with any of the above matters, and is allowed to deposit the
    fine money in his own coffer to help fund public games.

    **Justice of the City**
    The Justice of the City; shall be responsible for supervising justice
    and courts of law in the city. The Justice of the City shall not be
    absent from the city for more than ten days. In the absence of both
    Consuls from the city, the Justice assumes the role of senior
    magistrate, and shall have the power to summon the senate, make
    decisions about how government policies are executed, and organize
    the city's defenses in the event of an attack.

    Regarding legal matters, the Justice of the City decides if two
    litigants should be allowed to go to court or to a formal hearing,
    and has the authority to decide such matters at his discretion.
    The authority of the Justice of the City extends only one mile outside
    the city walls.

    **The Foreign Justice**
    The Foreign Justice shall be responsible for legal matters and
    lawsuits involving one or more parties who are not citizens of the
    state. The Foreign Justice shall also be responsible for supervising
    justice and courts of law for matters outside the walls of the city.

    **Consul**
    The consul shall be the most senior magistracy that bears imperium.
    The proper age for a consul shall be no less than forty-two years.
    There shall be two consulships available on a yearly basis, and the
    office shall commence on the first day of the new year. The senior
    senator presides during the first month, alternating monthly for the
    rest of the year. The authority of the consul knows no bounds, and
    they shall be responsible for command of any army. Each consul shall
    be given two legions as his own, but can appropriate more of the army
    for whatever purpose he wishes.

    **Censor**
    The censor shall possess no 'imperium' but is the most senior of the
    city's magistrates. Only former consuls with superior social standing
    and reputation should be considered for election as consul. Two
    censors shall be elected for a four-year term. The censors oversee 
    and regulate membership of the senate, the order of the knights, and
    those who hold the Public Horse.  They shall be responsible for
    conducting a census of the republic's population, at which time they
    shall apply a test of means to each citizen. They may also have
    authority over state contracts and various public works and buildings.


   **Special Magistracies**

    **Dictator**
    In times of great peril or extreme emergency the senate shall have the
    authority to elect a dictator, the office of which shall only be 
    engaged for six months. The dictator shall be immune to all legal
    accountability after his term of office is completed, and may not
    be prosecuted for any actions executed during such term.

    **Master of the Horse**
    The Master of the Horse shall be appointed by a dictator to be his
    second-in-command and war leader.

    **Interrex**
    In the event of the death of both consuls, a senior senator shall be
    chosen by the censors to be 'interrex', or interim consul, for five
    days. He shall then be succeeded by another man for another five days.
    This shall continue until new consuls can be elected.

   **Other Public Offices of High Reputation**

    **Leader of the Senate**
    Chosen by the censors, the honored position of Leader of the Senate
    shall be filled by one who has been a leader of a ten, has been
    'interrex' more times than any other senator, and who has an
    indisputable moral character.

    **High Priest of the City**
    The High Priest of the City shall be the head of the State Religion
    of Ereal and shall be the most senior priest of the city. He shall
    occupy the most prestigious state-owned house, and oversee all
    elements of the state religion.