Good friends, young and old: hello.

I haven't written a formal report in a while, unless you count all of the convictions that I've posted. In that case, well, I'm doing pretty well on this report thing. Truthfully, I intended to post more often, but I've had a couple rough months. My brother-in-law had an accident and is living with us, and the influx of family and drama has cut into my PC time. I refuse to write a report on a phone. Deal with it. (Seriously, thanks for the patience with my lack of reports. I've been keeping up with the daily work of the position, but haven't had the dedicated time to sit and write). I won't be long, some quick updates.

Appeals Panel

The current terms for the Appeals Panelists have expired. I need three new panelists to serve for nine months on the panel. The Appeals Panel has a very specific role: if the defendant or prosecution feels that a procedural error has been made in a CoJ proceeding, he can write an appeal and present it to the Justicar, who will in turn bring it before the Appeals Panel. The Appeals Panel then decides if there is merit to the objection. There haven't been many appeals, but it's an important role.

If you are interested, apply by e-mailing me and the Hands of Justice prior to 11:59 PM EDT Monday, July 27. Applicants that have passed the CoJ I SA Exam will have preference. I reserve the right to just announce the panel prior to that date if three good applicants submit, so don't procrastinate.

Current Workload

Let's discuss priorities. As set forth in Sarin's master plan that was released recently, the priorities for my position are pretty simple. First, I am to keep an active hold on all cases and new matters brought before the CoJ. Second, I am to work on the Covenant amendments. Third, I am to help with DC projects, an upcoming GJW in particular.

In terms of my first priority, I am happy to say that the CoJ is running on all cylindars and we are staying on top of all of our duties. Halc and Monty are excellent at their roles, and we have made quick work of anything that comes our way. Many proceedings are in private, but you have all seen the cases that have come out in the last few months. We've kept busy. There is barely a day that goes by without something happening that needs our attention.

Covenant Amendments

I have been working in my free time at a significant re-write of the Covenant. I have completed my preliminary re-write of all sections except for the Justice article. Those provisions include a new article about the Star Chamber and some pretty significant re-writes of the rest. I basically re-wrote everything in some manner. I have worked through some comments by Sarin and Mav, and will be gradually working those amendments through the different parties that I want to comment.

Next I will be turning my attention to the judicial portions, which is a much harder task, but incredibly important. I have a slate of people with whom I am going to consult about the judicial amendments, including some people that have been through the process themselves. We are going to re-invent some of the process and make it work much better.

In terms of timing, I am expecting to release the drafts of the amendments in the next 30-45 days and hope to have all of them implemented by mid-fall. There will be some significant debates; it will be a fun process.

Policies and Manuals

In line with the amendments to the Covenant, I have worked to correct, clarify, and implement a good deal of policies. For instance, tonight I just had the pleasure of implementing the new exception steps to the Nepotism Policy. Fun times. We are also working on a series of manuals that will help CoJ transitions and educate members about the CoJ processes. Monty is doing amazing work on that front.

As we work through new issues, we are trying to document how they are dealt with so the next CoJ administration doesn't have to re-invent the wheel. For instance, there have been multiple issues that have arisen lately regarding the implementation of probation periods. We are working on policies that will clarify those issues and make it go away in the future.

James and Kalen rock

With the help of the Hands, I put together a wishlist for the CoJ functions on the website. James and Kalen are already rocking it. Kalen implemented a report that makes it simple for us to track probation periods. James is going to re-work the join process to help us ferrit out clones and duplicate accounts. And there are some other improvements that will be incoming. These guys are completely awesome.

That's all I have for now.

Behave yourselves. Ceiling Jac is watching.

Grand Master Jac Cotelin

Justicar and High Protector of the Brotherhood