Members of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood -

Thank you to Grand Master Pravus for my nomination to the position of Justicar, to the Electorate for the quick confirmation, and for all of the kind words that I have received. It is a pleasure to be serving again on the Dark Council and to be in a position that I have long hoped to hold.

This report is intended to give you a quick overview of my positions and intentions as I take the mantle of Justicar, much of which was provided to the Electorate prior to my confirmation.

To begin with, my thanks go out to Taigikori for his service as Justicar. He has faced some heavy challenges, many of which left him in untenable situations. Nevertheless, he served as an excellent Justicar and I am happy to count him among my friends. To the extent that I make any changes to the judicial system, operate differently, or take different priorities, it is not meant to be a statement against him or any prior Justicar. It is simply that I am a different person with different ways, and the changeover of positions always brings a time to reset and regroup.

The ongoing importance of the Dark Covenant to this club gives me great joy; its enactment is the one accomplishment in my term as Grand Master that I am justifiably proud of. Though I am often credited with being its author, the reality is that the development of the Covenant was a club-wide effort involving input from dozens of people over the course of a year. That is why the document has held up over the past decade; it encapsulates this club in its entirety. And through a similar effort of many, the Covenant will stay strong.

That is to say, there are changes that are needed to bring the Covenant current to the times, to fix some weak points, and to strengthen the document as a whole. I have been part of, or have led, nearly every effort to amend the Covenant, and I intend to lead the next stage of its ongoing development. We will endeavor to work through many changes, at the forefront being the defined role of the Star Chamber, structural changes to bring the Covenant in line with the recent houseless Clan announcement, and some long-needed judicial process amendments. My hope is that my seven years experience as an attorney will help me fix the drafting errors left by my first-year-law-student self so long ago.

Turning to the judicial process, I will strive as Justicar to hold true to the following principal: I will be proactive, fair, impartial, quick, reliable, and consistent. The entire Chamber will operate in this manner; I intend to use the Hands to the fullest extent possible.

Perhaps the most important role I will play is in the proactive effort to avoid the need for any justice system. A Justicar need not be waiting in the wings for a call to service. I will be active in my role, working to ensure that our systems operate smoothly, but also that members are properly educated in our ways. I will work to solve problems before the need for a Chamber action arises, and will work to mediate disputes between members.

Fairness, consistency, speed and reliability all run hand-in-hand. Our system at present moves at a glacial speed due to many restrictions imposed upon it. That is not fair to those that are in the process and simply want a resolution one way or another. Fairness requires that we look to the particular facts of the case, including mitigating facts, but consistency is also required so that one member is not unduly punished in ways that have not been used in the past. Speed and reliability will factor in all places; I will be available. And I will ensure that the Chamber of Justice operates impartially. There are instances in which members of the Chamber should recuse themselves, and I aim to define those circumstances and make sure the process will work through those times.

Many of you are not familiar with my work; it has been nearly a decade since I departed the Iron Throne. Since that time, I have been a constant adviser to the Grand Masters and an active clan member and competitor. I am glad now for this change to a position and public role. I will strive to make sure the club hears from me in earnest, as I am a true believer that the more visible a leader is, the better his ability to lead.

I look forward to all there is to do as Justicar. And we have a lot to do. There is a caseload waiting for me to administer and many policies and projects to revisit. You will be hearing from me again soon.

Thank you again to Pravus, the Clans and the Dark Council. I am grateful for this opportunity.

Sincerely,

Jac Cotelin