Council of Magical Law

Council of Magical Law
Organisation information
Leader(s)	Bartemius Crouch Snr (1980s)
Headquarters	Level 2, British Ministry of Magic headquarters, London, England
Intentions	Criminal court of the Ministry
Affiliation	British Ministry of Magic Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Enemies	Lord Voldemort Death Eaters Dark wizards

"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

The Council of Magical Law was a British 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.

Description

The Council was hierarchically inferior to the Wizengamot, which was the Wizard High Court. They also employed a number of guards in their service.

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.

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.

Trials

Trials were brief, with members being presented the evidence against the accused beforehand. The accused was only brought in to give their 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 Crouch Jnr's trial).

Known accused

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

• Igor Karkaroff - Released from Azkaban after presenting information leading to the capture of Death Eater Augustus Rookwood.
• Severus Snape - Vouched for by Albus Dumbledore. Cleared of all charges.
• Ludovic Bagman - Cleared of all charges.
• Barty Crouch Jnr - Sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.
• Rabastan Lestrange - Sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.
• Rodolphus Lestrange - Sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.
• Bellatrix Lestrange - Sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.

Known members

Bartemius Crouch Snr †

Albus Dumbledore †

Alastor Moody †

Male member

Clerk

• Female juror

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Pottermore