The Legion

Introduction
The eagle. Bold and mighty, of the skies, he cares not for the petty squabbles that lie far below him. He needs not a host of other eagles to surround him, he is a proud beast who can care for himself, yet he will not allow his kin to suffer needlessly. He does not choose a path of mindless aggression, striking carelessly, but rather he chooses to exercise great wisdom and keen patience. He waits and he watches with great care and strikes only when, and if, the time is right. Not a glimmer of frailty or weakness appears across his majestic brow, even when under great threat. This is the eagle.

The Legion, bold and mighty, was birthed from necessity into a world full of potential aggression, anger and hate. Yet, like the eagle, The Legion learned to soar. In a world filled with powerful alliances, The Legion appeared and made its mark. Endorsing peace, it looked not for war with its brothers, but unity. However, as the eagle defends its kin, so did the Legion vow to defend its members.

And thus, the Charter of The Legion was formed.

Legionnaire Code of Ethics
Legionnaires are expected to maintain the following code of ethics. Legionnaires will always follow the orders of higher ranks unless they violate international codes of conduct, especially spying on other alliances. They will never attack their neighbors unprovoked, including the unprovoked use of nuclear weapons, or for the purposes of gathering tech. They will not steal money from others. They will never access the boards of other alliances without permission. Failure to follow these ethics will result in punishment in accordance to the Judiciary system. All Legionnaires must swear to uphold the Code of Ethics in order to be admitted.

Article I: Government
Section 1: Government Structure There are 3 branches of Government: the Consulate, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The highest power is the Consulate, followed by the Senate, the House of Representatives, and finally the membership.

Section 2: The Consulate There are 5 Consulate members that function as the executive branch: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Minister of Economics, and Speaker of the House. These 5 make policy for the alliance and manage their areas of expertise and their respective departments. The 5 Consulate members all have equal power. All declarations of war and treaty approvals must have a 3/5 majority to become effective. They assume all powers not defined by the other branches.

Section 2a: Selection of the Consulate The initial 5 Consuls will be appointed by Viceroy Z'ha'dum, with the input of the general membership. Following this, the Consulate must face a confirmation vote every 2 months from the House of Representatives which they must pass with a 3/5 majority or greater. The confirmation vote will last for 72 hours. Should they fail this confirmation vote, the Senators will select a new Consul by nominations and a majority vote among themselves. Consuls reserve the right to resign at anytime and to appoint a replacement from the Senate. Appointment of a replacement will take no more than 72 hours.

Section 3: The Senate The Senate consists of heads of various areas, as appointed by the Consulate. These appointments include, but are not limited to: the Director of Intelligence, Director of Communications, Director of Game Mechanics, Director of Education, and Director of Recruitment.

Section 3a: Selection of Senators Senators are appointed by the Consulate. They reserve the right to resign at anytime, in which case the Consulate will appoint a replacement. Senators may be removed by a vote of no confidence from the House of Representatives. New Senate positions may be created and dissolved by the Consulate as necessary with approval from the existing Senators. A member may not be in the Senate and the House at the same time.

Section 4: The House of Representatives The House consists of 6 members which are elected by the general membership. The 6 members select a Speaker of the House. This selection will take no more 72 hours. If a decision cannot be reached, the vote goes to the Senate. The House also has the power and responsibility to observe and issue recommendations to the departments on how to improve things.

Section 4a: The Speaker of the House The Speaker of the House's job is communication of ideas between the membership and the Government. The Speaker becomes a Consul and is the People’s eye on the upper echelons of the government. However, the Speaker cannot vote in confirmation votes and no confidence votes.

Section 4b: Votes of No Confidence Any member of the House of Representatives has the right to initiate a vote of no confidence in a Senator or Consulate member at anytime. A representative is limited to one vote of no confidence a month. If the vote to remove is equal to or greater than 4/5, the designated Senator or Consul shall be removed from office. The voting will take place over 72 hours. Should a Consul be removed, the Senate will vote for a replacement from among themselves. Should a Senator be removed, the Consulate will select a replacement from the general membership.

Section 4c: Selections of Representatives Elections for Representatives will occur every 3 months. These elections will take place over the period of one week. If the Speaker is not re-elected, the House will select a new one. A member may not be in the Senate and in the House at the same time.

Section 4d: Replacement of Representatives i)In the event that a representative must resign from the House in the middle of his/her term a bi-election shall be held. The successful candidate will than serve the remainder of the original representative's term. ii)In the event that a representative become inactive for a period greater than a week the remaining representatives may hold a removal vote and call a bi-election to replace the inactive representative.

Section 5: The Judiciary The House of Representatives functions as the Judiciary. The Representatives will double as the Justices of the Court. Crimes against The Legion and her members are to be tried in the Judiciary. Crimes that will be taken to trial include: Corruption, Disobeying Orders, Fraud, Espionage, Knowingly False Accusation of Crimes, and Conspiracy to Commit a Crime. Anyone accused of a crime will be temporarily relieved of power until the end of a trial so as to prevent continued crimes or manipulation of the House in the trial.

Section 5a: Judiciary Procedures Justices shall have the authority to determine appropriate punishments for any infraction at their own discretion. Both Plaintiff and Defendant shall represent themselves, presenting whatever evidence they feel pertains to the case at hand. The Defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. All evidence and/or witnesses gathered by either party must be submitted to the Justices for approval. A trial shall follow this order: The Plaintiff may make an opening statement, followed by the Defendant's opening statement. The Plaintiff may then examine any desired witnesses, and the Defendant may cross-examine them. After all witnesses and evidence has been exhausted, the Plaintiff and Defendant may make their closing statements. The Justices will then retire to their private chambers to deliberate. The ruling may be handed down according to the opinion of the majority of the Justices. The Justices are the sole determining authority on when constructive testimony has been exhausted and may close the trial when they are satisfied such testimony has been completed. If a Justice is accused of a crime they shall be tried by a panel of the remaining Justices.

Section 6: General Membership All Legion members not defined as Senators, Consuls, or Representatives are classified as general members. Lesser government officials may be removed and added by the Consulate at their order.

Section 7: Disbandment Clause In order to disband, a General Membership vote of no less than 72 hours with at least a 2/3 majority is required.

Article II: Admission
All members must make a thread in the Application area on the Legion forums in order to be admitted. The specific requirements beyond this will be clearly set by the Consulate, and can be changed at any time by the Consulate.

Article III: Amendment Process
A member of the House of Representatives may propose an amendment to the charter at any time. In order for the amendment to be added, it must pass a 4/5 vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the vote lasting for 72 hours.

Related links

 * Flags of The Legion
 * Legion-Valhalla War
 * Dove War
 * Legion Disbandment Crisis
 * Legion Forums