Aztec laws were simple but had harsh punishments. Crimes from adultery to stealing were punished by death and other offenses usually involved severe corporal punishment or mutilation (the penalty for slander, for instance, was the loss of one's lips). The accused were brought to a court where judges would decide what punishment the guilty would get. The emperor was the judge and chosen members of the community would serve as the jury. However, this was not a totalitarian state, the entire community supported these laws instead of a judiciary system.