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"You have been brought here before the Council of Magical Law so that we may pass judgement on you, for a crime so heinous... that we have rarely heard the like of it within this court."
— The beginning of his son and the Lestranges trial[src]

The Council of Magical Law is a Ministry of Magic board comprised of a judge, a panel of members and jury, with competence to pass a verdict on criminal cases as well as reviewing information given to them by convicted criminals.[1]

Description[]

The Council is hierarchically inferior to the Wizengamot, which is the Wizard High Court. They also employ a number of guards in their service.[1]

This Council towards the end of the First Wizarding War and perhaps sooner was led by Bartemius Crouch Snr, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was responsible for the deliberation on the Death Eater trials in the early 1980s, shorty after the end of the First Wizarding War.[1]

During the 1989–1990 school year, veteran Auror Alastor Moody explained to Jacob's sibling that a vast majority of Dark wizards were tried by the Council of Magical Law. However, the full Wizengamot would occasionally convene to oversee court proceedings.[2]

Trials[]

Trials are brief, with members being presented the evidence against the accused beforehand. The accused is only brought in to give his testimony before the panel of judges pronounced judgement. Notably, on the trial of Bartemius Crouch Jnr and Rabastan, Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange, the accused were not allowed to provide testimony before being given a life sentence in Azkaban; however, Sirius Black noted that this particular trial was no more than a sham for the elder Crouch to publicly disown his son. People external to the Council were, apparently, allowed to attend some of the trials, such as Rita Skeeter (on Ludo Bagman's trial) and Mrs Crouch (on her son's trial).[1]

Known accused[]

Bartemius trial

Bartemius Crouch Snr presiding over the Council of Magical Law during the Death Eater trials in the early 1980s

Known members[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Level 2, British Ministry of Magic
Department of Magical Law Enforcement logo
Auror Office · Department of Intoxicating Substances · Improper Use of Magic Office · Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office · Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects · Office for the Removal of Curses, Jinxes, and Hexes · Magical Law Enforcement Patrol · Hit Wizards · Ministry of Magic Witch Watchers · Department of Magical Equipment Control · Administrative Registration Department · Wizengamot Administration Services · Department of Security · Animagus Registry · SOS Task Force Office
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