Superlative Judiciary Council

The Superlative Judiciary Council (SJC) is the 15-member body of judges serving as the highest court in Illuminatia. At the head of the Illuminatian government's Ultrabureau of the Judiciary (UBJ), the SJC is the court of last resort in Illuminatia, holding the highest appellate authority continent-wide for the entirety of the Illuminatian government's judiciary.

The Superlative Judiciary Council serves the same role as most supreme courts of earthly origin. SJC rulings provide clarity to lower courts when requested as a part of a Motion of Incongruity, which can be filed by lower courts. Only judges from other courts can file these motions on behalf of the court—these motions are not a mechanism of appeal for plaintiffs, defendants, or their counsel.

Lower courts in Illuminatia, rather than being districted based on geography, instead maintain geographic jurisdiction over the entire continent and segregate their areas of oversight based upon subject matter.

Unlike many traditional earthly supreme courts, the SJC is does not serve as the chief administrative body over the judicial branch of the Illuminatian government. The SJC also does not hear matters of judicial ethics or conduct unless the matter is a judicial question. These roles are managed by separate bodies within the UBJ.

The Superlative Judiciary Council contains the same number of seats as the Chief Audit Council (CAC), which is the head of the Ultrabureau of Control (UBC), however in contrast to the CAC and as an important portion of the highly-valued tenet of transparency, the identities of the SJC's members are known and documented.

SJC members are not elected. Judges are appointed to the council from their existing seats on lower courts through a process of meritocratic deliberation.