(a) A special Council of 90.
(b) The larger Consiglio del Podestà or del Commune, some 390. This contained judges and law officers (and therefore nobles, since nobles could hold these offices), as well as popolani, and were renewed every four months.
Finally, a law having passed these Councils had to be submitted to a General Council of them all.
The Signory and the colleagues ex officio were members of these Councils.
System of voting. By ballot. Black and white beans. Black = yes, white = no. ⅔ of black beans necessary to carry a question.
| Tenere le fave or il partito | = | To vote no. |
| Rendere le fave or il partito | = | To vote yes. |
| L’autorità dei sei fave | = | Majority of ⅔ in Signory. (6 out of 9.) |
| Il piu della fave | = | ⅔ of votes. |
V. Justice.
1. Court of Capitano del Popolo—a paid officer—must be a foreign noble and lawyer. Exercised summary criminal jurisdiction, especially over Plebs.
2. Court of Podestà—a paid officer—must be a foreign (Italian) noble and lawyer. Exercised higher civil and criminal jurisdiction.
3. Executor of Justice—a paid officer—must be a popolano and a Guelph and a foreigner. Exercised summary jurisdiction, especially over nobles.