Feedback by Janus, Red Equity of the Golden Clause, on a term paper exploring the the emerging legal jurisdiction of the Quire System.

Please Note: The grade you’ve received here reflects your successful ability to follow the assignment’s instructions, cite relevant academic and practical work, and build an argument supported by precedent. For that, you should be commended.

But I am disappointed that you would take up this line of thought.

As you’ve written politicians of certain persuasion point to moments of crisis, to freshly mapped worlds, to technological frontiers and say that the law does not apply in these places. That that those in power rule arbitrarily during these states of exception.

But if you take one lesson from me or from this seminar, let it be this: There is no such thing as a lawless place or a time outside of jurisdiction.

Deep below explicit legal precedent, unlisted in any codex, there lie unspoken rules by which society functions. They are fluid, yet bottled by the shape of culture. From the racist resolution of border-region land disputes to the public opinion pardoning of war criminals, a cultural paradigm of gestures and sensibilities guides action.

The so-called “state of exception” is an alibi. If tyranny rises and the people of Quire do not stand to stop it, that is a not a sign of the oppressor’s strength, but a memorandum on the population’s capacity to love a despot.

Jurisprudence simply follows suit.

Fourteen Fifteen, you are a good student, and I hope you grow to understand our role in this system: We are as adjudicators on the verge.

Our role is not simply to interpret the law as written, it is to translate attitude into index. And, in instances where indices are incomplete, to passionately propel the world towards justice.

This week on Twilight Mirage: This Year of Ours: The Speaker

Oh I see the lines, there's two lines

You'll live a life anew

Tell me what you need from me?

Hosted by Austin Walker ( @austin_walker

Featuring Jack de Quidt ( @notquitereal

Produced by Ali Acampora ( @ali_west

Cover Art by Craig Sheldon ( @shoddyrobot

Episode description by Austin Walker

Music by Jack de Quidt

A transcription is available for this episode here.



A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!