The Thesmothetae in the first place have the power of prescribing on
what days the lawcourts are to sit, and next of assigning them to the
several magistrates; for the latter must follow the arrangement which
the Thesmothetae assign. Moreover they introduce impeachments before
the Assembly, and bring up all votes for removal from office,
challenges of a magistrate's conduct before the Assembly, indictments
for illegal proposals, or for proposing a law which is contrary to the
interests of the state, complaints against Proedri or their president
for their conduct in office, and the accounts presented by the
generals. All indictments also come before them in which a deposit has
to be made by the prosecutor, namely, indictments for concealment of
foreign origin, for corrupt evasion of foreign origin (when a man
escapes the disqualification by bribery), for blackmailing accusations,
bribery, false entry of another as a state debtor, false testimony to
the service of a summons, conspiracy to enter a man as a state debtor,
corrupt removal from the list of debtors, and adultery. They also bring
up the examinations of all magistrates, and the rejections by the demes
and the condemnations by the Council. Moreover they bring up certain
private suits in cases of merchandise and mines, or where a slave has
slandered a free man. It is they also who cast lots to assign the
courts to the various magistrates, whether for private or public cases.
They ratify commercial treaties, and bring up the cases which arise out
of such treaties; and they also bring up cases of perjury from the
Areopagus. The casting of lots for the jurors is conducted by all the
nine Archons, with the clerk to the Thesmothetae as the tenth, each
performing the duty for his own tribe. Such are the duties of the nine
Archons.