Federation Council

The Federation Council was the legislature of the United Federation of Planets. Seats on the Council were filled by representatives from the various Federation Members. In 2286, the Council convened in San Francisco. 

In 2371, as part of a ruse to get Ensign Harry Kim to buy worthless Lobi crystals, Quark told Kim that he should tell his commanding officer Kathryn Janeway that the Federation Council would be getting an official query from him regarding Kim being warned about Ferengi. 

In late 2372, Chancellor Gowron sent a message to the Council, telling them that the Klingon Empire would not give up their captured Cardassian planets. He also told them to withdraw Federation forces from the Archanis sector and Archanis IV. 

In 2374, the Council sent a message to Grand Nagus Zek that Ensign Nog was to deliver. Jake Sisko believed it might have been a proposal for an alliance between the Ferengi Alliance and the Federation. 

In a Dominion simulation, Benjamin Sisko was told the Founders were meeting with the Council and that they thought trusting them was "worth the risk". 

In a Section 31 holoprogram, the Council gave Luther Sloan authority to investigate a security breach on Deep Space 9. 

In 2376, Zar informed Varn that 'Captain Janeway' – i.e. Dala – had influence with the Federation Council and could speed up Varn's application for Federation membership. 

Council members
Membership in the Council was considered an incredible honor. T'Pau of Vulcan was the only person to have refused a seat on the Council as of 2267. 

The election of Federation councilors was one of the tasks that Bajor would have had to complete if it joined the Federation. 

Jonathan Archer served on the Federation Council, representing United Earth, from 2175 to 2183, before being elected president in 2184. 

In the 2360s, Jaresh-Inyo represented his world on the Federation Council before he was elected president. 

Council decisions
In 2286, the Federation Council deliberated what the Federation's position would be regarding the issue of the premature formation of the Genesis Planet. To that end, Starfleet Commander Admiral Morrow ordered the crew of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) to withhold their knowledge of the planet to anyone until they could make official policy. The Council also ordered that no one aside from the science team aboard the USS Grissom (NCC-638) would be allowed to approach the planet. The Federation Council met three months later to consider the actions of Admiral James T. Kirk and his crew regarding his violation of these orders, their sabotage of the USS Excelsior and their theft and destruction of the Enterprise. However, in gratitude for the crew's work in saving Earth from the Whale Probe, the Council dismissed all but one charge and demoted Kirk to the rank of captain and, as befitting an officer of that rank, "sentencing" him to command a starship. 

In 2366, the Council was called into emergency session when a Romulan defector provided information on a possible Romulan invasion fleet arming near Nelvana III. They determined that the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), the Starfleet ship on site, should assume anything Admiral Alidar Jarok said was a lie. 

In 2369, the Federation Council promised Ambassador Ves Alkar safe passage back to his homeworld after bringing peace to Rekag-Seronia. Alkar expected Picard to fulfil that agreement, regardless of his, Alkar's, crimes. 

In 2370, the Council imposed a warp 5 speed limit on all Federation vessels and vessels within UFP territory, except in dire circumstances. This law was revoked when improvements in warp drive were achieved. 

Shortly thereafter, the Council began debate on the ratification of the Federation-Cardassian Treaty. It rejected a request by a Native American representative to re-negotiate the status of Dorvan V and ordered the evacuation of all Federation citizens from the planet. 

In 2372, the Federation Council condemned the Klingon invasion of the Cardassian Union and agreed to provide twelve industrial replicators to help rebuild the devastated Cardassian industrial base. 

In 2375, Starfleet Admiral Dougherty claimed that the Federation Council had been responsible for the decision to forcibly relocate the Ba'ku from their world in cooperation with the Son'a. After the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) contacted the Federation, the Council announced they would perform a top-level review of the situation and halt the relocation of the Ba'ku. 

Later that year, the Federation Council was responsible for the decision not to give the Founders the cure to the morphogenic virus, as they felt it would give the Dominion the upper hand in the war. 

In an alternate 2390, the Federation Council offered to drop the charges of conspiracy against Chakotay and Harry Kim if they returned a Borg temporal transmitter and stood down when those two tried to send a message back to 2375.

Apocrypha
In the non-canonical novel Articles of the Federation by Keith R.A. DeCandido, the Federation Council is depicted as being housed in a fifteen-story building in Paris called the Palais de la Concorde. The Council chambers are located on the first floor, while the presidential office is located on the top floor. In, however, the Council is depicted as being located in San Francisco, and makes mention of the Federation Council building being replicated by Species 8472 in their recreation of the city. The historical archive screen in also lists the council as being in San Francisco. However, it has never been explicitly confirmed in the canon that San Francisco is the primary or only meeting place of the Council, leading to some leeway for apocryphal novels.

In the earlier novel A Time for War, A Time for Peace, also by DeCandido, the Council itself determines who is qualified to run for president on the basis of anonymous petitions for candidacy. In Articles, it is divided into a number of "sub councils," the equivalent of a legislative committee, to which the president appoints members with the full Council's approval. The Security Council, for instance, deals with matters of Federation security, while the Judiciary Council can make rulings on judiciary matters (that seem to overrule those of the Federation Supreme Court). The novel also implies there is only one councilor per member, although "Rapture" makes mention of councilors needing to be selected for Bajor's admittance to the Federation; it was not clear if this meant that Bajor would have multiple councilors or if the character was simply speaking generally. In Star Trek IV, there are several Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, etc. seated in the Council chambers; however, any number of those individuals may be guests (such as Spock was).

In short, the make-up and location of the Council is somewhat vague and open to interpretation based upon canonical evidence. However, based solely upon on-screen evidence, the council appears to be a.

Föderationsrat Conseil de la Fédération 連邦評議会 Federatie Raad Rada Zjednoczonej Federacji Planet