Civitas Imperialis

The term, Civitatas Imperialis is an often misused term assumed to mean, simply, the Imperial rule of law. Its actual meaning is more specific and, as scholars have learned from the personal diaries of Waraster Slaydo's (the first Imperial commander of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade), was of particular importance to the great leader. At the foundation of the Imperium of man, the Civitas Imperialis was laid down to, 'Guarantee the safety and assurance of any citizen of the Imperium of Mankind, wherever he or she travels or sets foot within the length and breadth of breadth of the Imperium.' The Civitas was therefore meant to be the hallmark of refined Imperial culture, the measure of its power and security, and it was precisely this, the qualitative perfection of human civilisation, as opposed to the basic 'rule of law', that Slaydo was determined to restore to the Sabbat Worlds.

In the context of the Sabbat Worlds, the Civitas is suspended when the region is reclassified 'unstable/hazardous', is no longer considered to be under Imperial governance, and the court of the Lord Governor is removed to the neighbouring sector. Before M35, the Sabbat Worlds were considered beyond the bounds of the Civitas Imperialis and extremely dangerous.

Source

 * Sabatt Worlds Crusade (Background Book) by Dan Abnett