The subject this research project is the Decretorum Libri Tres of the Roman jurist Julius Paulus (2^nd – 3^rd century CE). This remarkable book contains reports of judicial decisions made by the Roman emperor Septimius Severus (and perhaps some of his successors) in the quality of the highest judicial instance in the Roman empire. Paulus’ reports offer a wealth of information on both the proceedings and deliberations of the emperor and his advisory council ( consilium) on the case afterwards. Thus, they provide an unique insight in the decision making-process at the highest level of the imperial bureaucracy.