Legislation in the Golden Empire

Various methods of enacting legislation in the Golden Empire existed, although all beyond system level were technically in the hands of the Empire's Sovereign.

The Charter
The Charter of the Golden Empire was the supreme law binding on the entire Empire and all of its citizens, including the Sovereign (although she had the power to amend it). As such, it was fairly broad, establishing the powers of the Sovereign and the rights of Royal citizens and member systems.

Royal laws
Laws binding on the entire Empire could be enacted through the following forms.

Royal Law
A Royal Law was a permanent law affecting the Empire and all its member systems, and was promulgated to all member worlds of the Empire. All Royal Laws were made by the Sovereign, although in practice Rin Sakaros often sought the advice of her Consular Assembly in forming new laws. Laws binding on the entire Empire were rare, usually dealing with capital crimes, military or intelligence issues, and trade.

Royal Laws could be appealed to the Sovereign's Tribunal on grounds of conflicting with the Charter, though this was uncommon, as Rin Sakaros made both the laws and the Charter herself.

Royal Decree
Also called a Royal Edict, a Royal Decree differed from a Royal Law only in scope; it usually addressed an issue which did not directly affect all citizens. Rin Sakaros usually made her Decrees with less consultation, or after consulting only those directly concerned. The establishment of procedures for regency was done with a Royal Decree, and all "in-house" rules binding on the Order of Keltrayu or the Armada were also Decrees.

Royal Command
"The word of the queen is the law of the Empire."

- Jira Seezhli to Alluria Quinn

Rin Sakaros issued nearly all her commands in digitized form as laws or decrees, knowing they were necessary to good public order and only fair. However, as an absolute monarch, she technically had the authority to make an unappealable ruling simply by speaking it. To disobey a direct order from the Sovereign of the Empire was considered analogous to treason and punishable by death. However, Rin herself rarely gave direct commands to anyone outside the Grand Council of the Golden Empire, her Centurions, and the military.

Royal Executors had a more limited form of the right of Royal Command. While they were considered to speak with the power of the Sovereign on matters over which they had authority, they could not make permanent laws the way the Sovereign could.

System laws
Individual systems were allowed to create their own laws, so long as they did not conflict with the Charter or Royal laws. Consuls had the power to make law on their own worlds, though many did so rarely, as the Sovereign could overrule them at will and had a reputation for severely punishing those who abused their authority. On systems with functional legislatures, these too could make law affecting the world itself, subject to the Consul's veto.

After 127 ABY, a legislative action of the Consul was subject to temporary veto by the popularly elected Tribune. If the two disagreed, the matter was advanced to a Procurator for final judgment.