Supreme Court of Atlasia
Nyman, DC
People of the Republic of Atlasia v. Midwest Governor LeBron FitzGerald
Sentencing.
(The presiding judge, Justice Oakvale, sentenced the defendant after he was found guilty of the charge against him.)
The
Re-Consolidated Criminal Justice Act (2013), §2 c.7, outlines the crime of attempting to influence a voter into invalidating their vote by providing disinformation about the election process.
The Act allows for a maximum sentence of up to a one year ban on voting and a two year ban on holding office for offenses covered in c.1-7.
LeBron FitzGerald, then the Governor of the Midwest embroiled in a gruelling recall re-election battle, contacted Midwest citizen Gustaf in a chatroom and, in a frankly bizarre and conniving manner, attempted to convince Gustaf to invalidate his ballot - which was cast against the Governor - by claiming that "the positioning" "of the 'X'" ought to be changed. Had Gustaf heeded Fitzgerald's suggestion, he would have invalidated his vote, further securing Governor FitzGerald's election victory. He later implicitly admitted to the incident in a conversation with citizen Bacon King that same night, who had the foresight to take a note of FitzGerald's distinctive IP address.
Furthermore, the Governor not only refused to admit his complicity in this act, instead blaming it on shadowy anonymous imposters, and indeed proved obstructive to the work of the Court by refusing to respond to requests for his plea for a considerable time, and at one point vowed not to co-operate with the process at all, although it must be said that the Governor came to his senses and retained able counsel in the form of Sen. Windjammer. I look unfavourably upon this behaviour.
However, there are mitigating factors, too. Governor FitzGerald's attempt at convincing Gustaf to invalidate his ballot was unsuccessful, and, indeed, it would ultimately not have influenced the eventual outcome. While this does not make the underhand manipulation in isolation any less severe a crime, it does mean that real world impact is more limited than it may otherwise have been. Furthermore, Governor FitzGerald seemed to pause and retreat when Gustaf reacted with confusion and consternation, and did not attempt to re-contact him to press the issue. The Governor additionally has no previous criminal record and there is no evidence that he attempted to influence any other voters in such a manner. I am thus inclined to favour a moderate sentence for the guilty party.
LeBron FitzGerald, having been found guilty by a jury of his peers, is hereby sentenced to a ban of six months from voting in Atlasian elections and a ban of one year on holding any office under the Republic of Atlasia, at any level of government, beginning from the announcement of this sentence.
*bangs gavel*
