Court
Officer of the Court

"The words I speak, I speak knowingly," she said.

"Speak clearly," he said.

"I herewith proclaim myself a slave," she said. "I am a slave."

"You are now a slave," I said to her, "even in the cities. You are a property. You could be returned to a master as such in a court of law. This is something which, is recognized even outside of the Barrens. This is much stronger, in that sense, than being the slave of Kaiila or Yellow Knives."

"I know," she said.

Seibar looked down upon her.

"I am now a legal slave," she said.
Blood Brothers of Gor     Book 18     Page 364 and 365


I had even, the day before yesterday, held court, though, to be sure, the cases were minor.
"Let the churl be stripped," I had said, imperiously, "and a sign be put about his neck, proclaiming him a fraud. Then let him be marched naked, before the spears of guards, through the great gate of Corcyrus, not to be permitted to return before the second passage hand!"
Kajira of Gor     Book 19     Page 67 and 68


For example, a free woman, sentenced to slavery for, say, crimes or debts, may find herself, once enslaved, by direction of the court, sold for a pittance into such a slavery.
Kajira of Gor     Book 19     Page 265

"Do you protest?" he asked.

"Certainly!" she cried.

"On what grounds?" he asked, puzzled. She was his by legitimate capture, and he could do with her whatever he pleased. Any court on Gor would have upheld this.
Players of Gor     Book 20     Page 15


The public buildings, the law court and the "house of the Administrator," the locus of public offices, were similarly structured and adorned.
Dancer of Gor     Book 22     Page 281


"Bring her forward," he said. He was, as I understood it, an officer in the business court, that under the jurisdiction of the commercial praetor, subject, ultimately, to the high council.
Witness of Gor     Book 26     Page 507


I recalled that several women had been brought publicly, on various days, before the judgment of Talena, in her open-air court on the platform near the Central Cylinder.
Swordsmen of Gor     Book 29     Page 123


In a Gorean court the testimony of slaves is commonly taken under torture.
Mariners of Gor     Book 30     Page 42


Indeed, as you know, in a court of law, the testimony of slaves is commonly taken under torture.
Mariners of Gor     Book 30     Page 207


I did know that testimony from a slave, at least in a court of law, is commonly taken under torture. As noted before, the theory is that the slave may be expected to tell the truth only under duress. In fact, of course the slave is likely to say, and quite soon, whatever the judge wishes to hear.
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 512


To be sure, a slave is seldom subjected to any grievous torture, as it might lower her value. An exception is when her testimony is to be taken in a court of law. Then any slave, male or female will be placed on the rack, the theory being that this will guarantee a veracious testimony, even from the lips of a slave. What it commonly guarantees is that the slave, howling in misery or screaming through tears, will tell the judge whatever he wishes to hear.
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 442


"Perhaps," I said, "I will convey you to Ar, to the mercy of Marlenus, and that of the court torturers."
Rebels of Gor     Book 33     Page 640

"The next time you wish an Assassin," I said, "petition a Black Court, solicit the services of one of the Dark Caste."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 37

In passing, one might note that Brundisium had one of the largest, most formidable, most notorious Black Courts in known Gor, such a court being a facility in which Assassins are recruited and trained, and from which they are hired.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 85

Had Xenon been planted at the side of Seremides, given Seremides's knowledge of Talena, and his association with Lurius of Jad and the capture of Talena, and even more importantly, now, if Talena was to be stolen from the custody of Cos, who might be better equipped to undertake so hazardous and delicate a mission than the unscrupulous and astute Seremides, he betrayed by Cos and eager for revenge, and the reward for delivering Talena to the courts of Ar?
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 145

"Even if we were successful," said Xenon, "the House of Iskander would hire riders from the Black Court in Brundisium to pursue us."

"You fear the denizens of the Black Court?" I asked.

"Who would not?" he said. "Once they take fee, they are relentless. They are tenacious, like sleen. They would hunt us down. I, for one, do not care to be hunted by Assassins."
. . .

"This will do very nicely," I said, accepting the coins from Xenon. I noted that the three coins were, as I had expected, not of the mintage of Jad, or even of another polity on Cos, or of the Farther Islands, but of Brundisium, home to, after the Caste had been banned from Ar, the largest, richest, and most feared Black Court on Gor.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Pages 158 - 159

The attack on the Ubar, Marlenus, was reported in a cursory fashion, possibly because an investigation was ongoing. The official information was merely to the effect that a large, but undisclosed number of unidentified assailants had set upon the Ubar, and a small number of his guardsmen, at the recent session of the Central Cylinder's Court of Complaints and Petitions, which attack had been resisted.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 186

The Ubar and some of his guardsmen, Taurentians, managed to withdraw into the court's adjoining vesting room, where court garments might be donned, and barricade themselves therein. At the time of the attack, the assailants had sealed off the Court of Complaints and Petitions itself, this to impede any immediate succor from reaching the Ubar and his handful of cohorts.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 186

"A prisoner under indictment," said Hemartius, "may, at the discretion of the court, be denied the privilege of the veil."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 307

"He is here to help you, to assist in your defense," said Hemartius.

"No," she said, "he is here to spy on you, or to undermine your defense, to control you more than the court itself will do. I have heard how he spoke of me in the stadium, how he referred to me, so maliciously, so venomously."

"Had I not done so," I said, "the court would not have granted my petition to join the noble Hemartius."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 308

"I shall demand to testify," said Talena.

"I sense the court," said Hemartius. "It will be only too pleased to honor her request to testify."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 310

"What seems interesting to me," said Hemartius, "in your barbarian view of law, as you explain it to me, is the presumption of innocence. What sort of legal system would accept that as a presumption? Unless we suppose that judges, attorneys, courts, and such, are incompetent, or corrupt, a defendant would not have been charged and brought to trial in the first place, not unless there was a presumption of guilt. Thus, having been brought to trial is, in itself, evidence that one is presumably guilty. Else why bother with a trial, at all?"
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 315

In these matters, however, I attempt to console myself, that systems do differ and, as Hemartius granted, even on Gor. Much, it seems, depends on the particular city and even, upon occasion, on the particular judge and court.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Pages 315 - 316

It was the third day of the trial of Talena of Ar. Dozens of hostile witnesses, virulent in attitude and speech, had testified against her. Similarly, hundreds of documents had been entered into the court records, certified as uniformly negative. Indeed, these documents seem to have been selected with negativity in mind, and, apparently, they were the major source from which witnesses had been selected.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 317

One concession the court denied her was her demand to shield her features by veiling. To give the court its due, I do not think any bias was involved in this decision. It is common precedent to deny veiling to female defendants.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 318

I am sure that Myron lacked any animus toward Talena of Ar and would have preferred to leave Ar anonymously, quietly and in peace, but he had found himself issued, at the behest of Decius Albus, a summons to appear in court and render testimony.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 320

"Please, Lady," said Hemartius. "Respect the dignity of the court. You do your case no good by such outbursts."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 324

To my unease, I observed clerks of the court mount the stage and begin to ignite braziers and lay out implements and devices of torture.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 340

"The Assassin frightens me," said Hemartius.

"Justifiably," I said. "He is one of the most powerful and dangerous men on Gor. His power would be the envy of many Ubars. His tentacles unite a hundred Black Courts. His word can lift a knife in Schendi and speed a quarrel in Kassau. In the black dagger, unrestrained by city walls and common codes, resides much power."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 342

"You should rest," said Thurnock. "Tomorrow, at noon, in the arena, in the presence of the slave, Talena, the Ubar, Marlenus, the tables of both the prosecution and defense, the clerks and officers of the court, and all Ar, you will meet the champion of the state."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 364

"Hemartius, I have learned," said Ruffio, "is now the chief scribe of the law in the court of the Ubar."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 580