Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee
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The Arbitration Committee is a group of users that exists to impose binding solutions to Wikipedia disputes, which may be anything up to and including a ban from editing Wikipedia.
Arbitration is the last step in the dispute resolution process — it is a last resort, only to be employed when all else has failed. Try other steps first, including discussion between disputants and, where appropriate, mediation. The Arbitration Committee only deals with the most serious disputes and cases of rule-breaking.
Until the beginning of 2004, Jimbo Wales dealt with all serious disputes and was the only person with the authority to ban users who were not engaging in simple vandalism (straightforward vandals could be blocked by any administrator). This role has now largely been passed to the Arbitration Committee. Jimbo wrote:
- "The Arbitration Committee [...] can impose a solution that I'll consider to be binding, with of course the exception that I reserve the right of executive clemency and indeed even to dissolve the whole thing if it turns out to be a disaster. But I regard that as unlikely, and I plan to do it about as often as the Queen of England dissolves Parliament against their wishes, i.e., basically never, but it is one last safety valve for our values." – January 2004
To request arbitration, see Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration. The arbitration policy details the rules and procedures involved.
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Members
The number of active Committee members affects the number of Arbitrators needed to reach a ruling. For example, if seven Arbitrators are active, then four votes are needed to reach a majority decision. If ten are active, then six votes are needed, etc. (In general, if an even number of members vote on a proposal and there is a tie vote, the proposal is not adopted. In this circumstance, the Arbitrators may ask Jimbo Wales to cast a tie-breaking vote, but this has yet to occur.)
The Committee has also decided against having a chairperson.
- Status of members
- Active;
- Inactive - on an unknown absence (no arbitration participation in the last two weeks);
- Away - on a known temporary absence.
As of 4 July 2007:
Active
- Template:User4
- Template:User4 (charles dot r dot matthews at ntlworld dot com)
- Template:User4
- Template:User4 (James Forrester aka "James F.", jdforrester at gmail dot com)
- Template:User4 (Josh Gordon, user dot jpgordon at gmail dot com)
- Template:User4
- Template:User4
- Template:User4 (Matthew Brown, morven at gmail dot com )
- Template:User4
- Template:User4 (Mark Pellegrini)
- Template:User4
- Template:User4
Away
- Template:User4 (Ben)
- Template:User4
Inactive
Elections
There have been four elections to date: July 2004 (only to fill two vacancies), December 2004, January 2006, and December 2006.
Selection process
The original Arbitration Committee was appointed by Jimbo Wales, primarily chosen from people who volunteered to help with the mediation and arbitration processes. Arbitrators are chosen for appointment having been suggested through advisory elections; for temporary appointments to replace resignations, they are chosen after direct advice.
Arbitrators serve three-year terms on a rotating schedule, such that a "tranche" of five positions is up for re-appointment each year. In case of early departures, new Arbitrators are appointed to the partially-served, now empty, terms.
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It should be noted that while appointments are generally to specified terms, all Arbitrators serve at Jimbo's discretion, and are not automatically removed at the expiration of those terms, but only by the appointment of a replacement or otherwise by Jimbo's will.
Former members
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Mailing list
The Wikimedia Foundation maintains a private mailing list for Arbitration Committee business. The subscribers to the list (as of Jun 18, 2007) are:
Member history
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bg:Уикипедия:Арбитражен комитет cs:Wikipedie:Arbitrážní výbor de:Wikipedia:Schiedsgerichtfr:Wikipédia:Comité d'arbitrage it:Progetto:Mediazione/Comitato arbitrale ja:Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee nl:Wikipedia:Arbitragecommissiesl:Wikipedija:Arbitražni komite sv:Wikipedia:Skiljedomskommitté
