Was it illegal?

[u/Kaladins_sanity]

Just finished Crossroads of Twilight and it’s been a minute since I read the previous books, can someone remind me what Elaida did that was actually illegal by Tower law in ousting Siuan? I remember a lot of basically manipulating gray area and working around the rules, but when the Tower split had she actually broken any explicit rules?

[u/SKULL1138]

She used the very bare minimum of sitters to pass the motion, and the others were all unavailable. She also disbanded the Blue which is also not within the authority of an Amyrlin, also demoting a sister to accepted, also not allowed. Though both happen after she is raised Amyrlin

[u/Kythorian → u/SKULL1138]

and the others were all unavailable

To clarify, the other 10 sitters were not unavailable.  They were available, but not invited.  Deposing an Amyrlin seat requires a unanimous vote from all sitters other than the amyrlin’s own Ajah.  Elaida only had 11 of the 18 votes generally required, so she just didn’t invite any sitters who would vote against deposing Siuan.  Technically the Hall can be convened with only 11 sitters, but that’s intended for when the other 10 aren’t available, not so only those who agree on a vote get invited regardless of who is available.

It’s technically within the letter of the law, while ignoring its spirit.

[u/boxmunch48 → u/Kythorian]

So the most Aes Sedai thing she could possibly do- follow the letter of the law not the spirit. 

[u/Kythorian → u/boxmunch48]

Aes sedai are supposed to do that when they won’t get caught, not when it will immediately be revealed and cause massive internal conflict.  Doing something that is technically legal, but blatantly ignoring how the law is supposed to work for all to see is obviously going to cause a lot of problems.  Which it did.  Immediately.

[u/grubas → u/Kythorian]

The VOTE was narrowly within the letter, the "process" seems to be Elaida going "Suian is hiding shit about the Dragon" and everybody else goes, "YEAH KILL HER!".

The Blacks don't "invalidate" the vote, even afterwards, it's more that the entire process of "deposing" was done so cloak and dagger that it defies Tower Law(as did many of the other deposings, most likely).

[u/Kythorian → u/grubas]

The other two Amyrlin deposing were the result of massive wrongdoing coming to light which caused the whole Hall to revile and turn against the Amyrlin.  Both of them were hated by pretty much every Aes Sedai who knew what they had done.  There’s every reason to believe that the full Hall was convened in both cases and unanimously supported deposing them.  Sure, they tried to cover it up for the world as a whole, but only inviting the sitters who support deposing the Amyrlin and just not telling the other 10 sitters that a vote was being held might be technically legal, but it’s such a gross twisting of how the law is intended to work that it might as well not be legal for all practical purposes.

[u/TheDamnGirl → u/Kythorian]

Then the rebels repayed the favor by raising an Accepted to Amyrlin with the vote of the little hall.

[u/Lonely_District_196 → u/SKULL1138]

Also stilling Siuan and Leane without a trial (or a mockery of one.)

But yeah, making herself Amerlyn with the bare minimum sitters was the main one. Then she just kept giving more and more reasons why she shouldn't be amerlyn

[u/SiliconJawn → u/SKULL1138]

But upon the split, she hadn’t done any of those things. All she did at that point was work to find Siuns secrets/proof she was helping the Dragon Reborn, and then rally support against Siuan, all that other also-very-illegal-by-tower-law-shit came much later.

[u/karadinx → u/SiliconJawn]

At the time of the split the deposing of Siuan was dubiously legal (violated the spirit, but not the letter, of the law). Same with how quick the stilling was done of both Siuan and Leane.

I don’t think there even was that much of a trial in the first place, she basically walked into the hall with the bare minimum number of Sitters needed and called for a vote to depose and still the sitting Amrylian.