Imperial Senate
The Senate of the SCM Empire is a political institution in the SCM Empire. After the fall of the SCM Republic, the constitutional balance of power shifted from the "SCM Senate" to the "SCM Emperor." Beginning with the first emperor, T'krall, the Emperor and the Senate are technically two co-equal branches of government. In practice, however the actual authority of the imperial Senate is negligible, as the Emperor holds the true power of the state. As such, membership in the Senate is much sought after by individuals seeking prestige and social standing, rather than actual authority. At the beginning of the reign of the Emperor, legislative, judicial, and electoral powers were all transferred from the "SCM assemblies" to the Senate. However, since the control that the Emperor holds over the senate is absolute, the Senate acts as a vehicle through which the Emperor exercises his autocratic powers.