running Earth

[Timo]

There is an appearance by a civilian police organization called Federation Security in Star Trek III.

Tellingly, it's still a federal organization, at least unless the name is misleading. No local police forces to be seen anywhere on Earth, not in ST3 or VOY "Non Sequitur" or any other instance involving crime on Earth. Nor on other UFP planets for that matter.

And whatever the role of "Federation Security", it delivers its perps to a Starfleet gaol, or at least a gaol guarded by personnel wearing Starfleet insignia.

Have we ever had a reference to a civilian court of justice? Or did those get outmoded when it was decided that criminals are simply ill people who have to be sent to asylums for treatment?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[neozeks]

The National Guard is State, not federal. That's not an argument against what you said, I just wanted to point that out. I'm a member of the Guard and as so, we are not Federal troops. We're not regular Army. We're basically the State's Army and one of our main purposes is to mobilize during times of emergency, like Katrina. I'm only pointing this out because I believe it supports the assumption that the relationship between The United Federation of planets government and the Earth government is comparable to the relationship between our Federal government and any state government.

Of course, you are right. But the president can federalize National Guard units and put them under federal control (hence why they are also in Iraq).

Have we ever had a reference to a civilian court of justice? Or did those get outmoded when it was decided that criminals are simply ill people who have to be sent to asylums for treatment?

The Federation Supreme Court was mentioned in 'Doctor Bashir, I Presume'.

A Federation Grand Jury was mentioned in DS9's 'The Ascent'.

 

[Bones2]

MINIFED DOUBLEPLUSUNGOOD

...no, I know it's not that funny.

 

[Sci]

There is an appearance by a civilian police organization called Federation Security in Star Trek III.

Tellingly, it's still a federal organization, at least unless the name is misleading. No local police forces to be seen anywhere on Earth, not in ST3 or VOY "Non Sequitur" or any other instance involving crime on Earth. Nor on other UFP planets for that matter.

And whatever the role of "Federation Security", it delivers its perps to a Starfleet gaol, or at least a gaol guarded by personnel wearing Starfleet insignia.

Or, it delivers Starfleet officers it arrests to Starfleet brigs for the Starfleet JAG office to deal with.

Have we ever had a reference to a civilian court of justice?

As noted above, the Federation Supreme Court and Federation grand juries were established to exist in DS9. In addition, TOS's "Court Martial" established that Samuel T. Cogley was himself a civilian attorney -- meaning that there was most likely a civilian judicial system out there.