MLPF Judicial System

[DubWolf 17,213]

I had an idea when I asked a friend to be a "judge" for me and a friend in a PM when we were... Having trouble.

 

Why not create a judicial branch on the forums?

 

It would handle two types of cases, such as in our nations's court system: criminal, which are cases regarding breaking the rules; and civil, which would be interpersonal, such as disputes between members here.

 

We had a similar system in another forum at one point, although they removed it after some cleaning up (the forums are inactive), so I can't view their organization.

 

However, would a court forum be created, the cases would be restricted to all users except those involved.

 

The justices could be chosen by the staff by ability (and wear a title), an attorney chosen by either party, (optional) and a jury would be selected by... I'm not sure (may be optional too). Other members may be present if necessary.

 

To start a case, the involved member may PM any justice, and wait for a response to see if any justice is available to handle the case, or receive a response stating the issue isn't "significant" enough.

 

It seems like a bit much, but having one member defend himself against.. administrative decisions or other members sounds like the defendant is in a third-world country.

 

Thoughts?

[Guest90210 3,568]

Honestly this just seems unnecessarily complicated when it can be handled quicker and more efficiently without all the spectacle. Also, bias would play a huge factor in this "judicial system".

Edited January 15, 2015 by Rivendare

[DubWolf 17,213]

Honestly this just seems unnecessarily complicated when it can be handled quicker and more efficiently without all the spectacle. Also, bias would play a huge factor in this "judicial system".

Got any better ideas? I do agree it could be simplified.

[Sir Hugsalot 9,183]

Actually from what I know every ban is a matter of debate between staff, not decision of one person (unless we are dealing with very serious rule violation or simply alt/troll accounts). Idea is nice, but execution of it could be hard, "court" would definitely get some bashing from members who knew banned person (it often happens to mods when popular member gets banned), besides if someone thinks ban was unfair he can easily approach moderation about his doubts through private message or a ticket. I did it myself two times and in both cases people I stood for got unbanned so it is not like staff are tyrants who always stick to their decisions. 

 

There is also a privacy case. As we all know reasons of bans aren't often revealed, to judge user who is about to get banned users, who are chosen to judge too would have to know everything about him. In some cases with his most private stuff involved. To be blunt - I don't want moderation to reveal my details to random person I don't know in order to judge me. I'd never agree with that and even if that actually saved my skin I'd still be disappointed as I'd rather keep my personal records to myself.

 

So, considering current forum rules, ESPECIALLY privacy policy I can't say it is a good idea. It'd work in some cases, but most crucial parts of it are already present on forums, only in different forms. 

[DubWolf 17,213]

Alright. I give up. Lock this thread. It was a stupid idea anyways.

 

I say this very soon since I predict I'll just get more "nope, bad idea" posts than I already have received and. Yeah..

Edited January 15, 2015 by SparkWolf

[Shanks 10,816]

It is one of those ideas that sounds good on paper but I just don't think would work here, I kind of understand why warnings and suspensions are between staff and the users in question, not everyone needs to know about every little mistake everyone makes as that sort of thing can encourage the proverbial rumor mill. At the same time though I often question if this approach is wise in cases where someone is perma banned because it is already obvious when someone is perma banned which in the case of popular users especially causes people to often panic and jump to conclusions. I suppose I can understand why something like this would be suggested as it is becoming increasingly clear that things the way they are simply aren't working though I personally think this has far more to do with the staff increasingly losing touch with the users rather than procedural issues.