Diplomacy and Law
From Star Trek: Gamma One
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Bajoran
Bajoran regulations authorize Militia personnel to use "due force" in curtailing criminal activity. MAJ Tralan reminded LTJG I'diera of this Bajoran regulation during a mission aboard MS Li Nalas ("Upon These Weary Bones").
Cardassian
The Cardassian legal structure follows from the notion that the state is more important than the individual.
In Cardassian criminal trials the defendant is presumed guilty until proven innocent and in fact the punishment is already decided before the trial begins; the purpose of the trial is merely to help the defendant acknowledge his wrongdoing. Trial proceedings are moderated by an Archon, and are widely broadcast as a method of social control and social reassurance.
Cardassian representatives rely heavily upon espionage to gain the upper hand in negotiations, dealing heavily in the leverage of superior information.
Federation
The legal structure of the Federation is laid out as according to the Charter of the United Federation of Planets, sometimes referred to as a "Constitution," and the Articles of the Federation. These documents include both the guiding principles and social contract, and a set of fundamental civil rights, or guarantees, which all Federation citizenry, as well as non-citizens in Federation territory, may expect to enjoy. The Charter explicitly makes it a criminal and/or civil offense to violate legally ratified and established treaties with foreign powers, effectively making such treaties part of Federation law. In addition, Starfleet officers are expected to obey Starfleet regulations such as the General Orders.
Law is carried out by the executive branch of government, in the form of the UFP Presidency (which operates out of the administrative capital of the Federation in the Palais du Concorde in Paris, Earth), legislated by the Federation Council (quartered in the people's capital in San Francisco), and judged by the Federation Supreme Court, which is the highest judicial authority.
The Federation Diplomatic Corps is, like Starfleet, administrated out of San Francisco, Earth. The Corps consists of a body of trained diplomats and statesmen who act as representatives both within the Federation and without. Diplomats, who often have not served in Starfleet, are accorded diplomatic rank equivalent to their military counterparts. They are well-versed both in Federation Law, and if possible, in the laws and customs of the peoples to whom they represent the Federation's interests.
Because diplomatic contact is such a large part of the mission of the Federation, obtaining Ambassadorial stature can definitely be termed "a big deal." Highly ranked diplomats often captain their own civilian vessels and maintain their own staff. Sarek of Vulcan, and his son, Spock, are widely regarded as two of the most important, influential, and well-regarded diplomats the Federation has ever known.
