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Judge (2000 AD)
Encyclopedia
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
series, which appears in the British comics 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
and Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
. In the fictional future history
Future history
A future history is a postulated history of the future and is used by authors in the subgenre of speculative fiction to construct a common background for fiction...
of the series, the role of "Judge" combines those of judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and police officer
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, thus avoiding long legal wrangles by allowing for criminals to be tried and sentenced on the spot. Since they overthrew the US Constitution in 2070 they have also held supreme political power in Mega-City One
Mega-City One
Mega-City One is a huge fictional city-state covering much of what is now the Eastern United States in the Judge Dredd comic book series. The exact boundaries of the city depend on which artist has drawn the story...
. Collectively they are known as the Justice Department.
Overview
Judges are the product of many years' training and psychological conditioning. Training, which takes place in the Academy of LawAcademy of Law
The Academy of Law is a fictional place of learning appearing in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional history:The Academy of Law is where the Judges of Mega-City One are trained...
, generally begins at age five. The Judges recruit promising children, and grow their own clones. Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
is himself one of the clones of the Judges' founder, Chief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Eustace Fargo is an important fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is Judge Dredd's clone father....
.
The Judges themselves are not above the law – a violation that would earn a citizen a few months in an Iso-Cube would get a Judge a twenty-year sentence, to be served as hard labor on Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
's moon, Titan
Titan in fiction
Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. It has a substantial atmosphere and is the most Earth-like satellite in the Solar System, making it a popular science fiction setting.- Literature :* Flight on Titan , short story by Stanley G. Weinbaum...
, after surgical modification to enable the convict to survive in Titan's atmosphere without needing an expensive space suit.
The Judges are led by a Chief Judge
Chief Judge of Mega-City One
Chief Judge of Mega-City One is the title of several supporting characters in the Judge Dredd comic strip published in 2000 AD. The chief judge is dictator and head of state of Mega-City One, a fictional future city of around 400 million people in 22nd-century America...
and a Council of Five
Council of Five
The Council of Five is a fictional legislature and court in the Judge Dredd comic strip appearing in 2000 AD. It first appeared in 2000 AD prog 86 ....
. The Judges have their own domestic intelligence division (the Public Surveillance Unit
Public Surveillance Unit
The Public Surveillance Unit or PSU is a fictional institution in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. It was introduced in progs 954 and 959 . Notable PSU characters in the comic strip are Judge Niles, its chief, and Judge Roffman, who frequently assists Judge Dredd in surveillance, espionage...
), and their own medical facilities. There are a number of specialist divisions within the Judges, notably Psi Division
Psi Division
Psi-Division is a fictional organisation in the Judge Dredd and Anderson: Psi-Division comic strips in 2000 AD and Judge Dredd: The Megazine. It is the branch of Mega-City One's Justice Department that deals in supernatural phenomena, using Judges with psychic abilities. Psi-Judges are often...
, which consists of psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
judges used to predict the future and read minds, and Tek Division, made up of forensic scientists and engineers. The SJS (Special Judicial Squad) monitor and police the Judges internally.
In the Judge Dredd future history
Future history
A future history is a postulated history of the future and is used by authors in the subgenre of speculative fiction to construct a common background for fiction...
, the Judge System originated in the United States (see History of Mega-City One), but spread to other countries around the world. In most of these nations the Judges are not only responsible for law enforcement but also control all aspects of the government. Of course, not all of these different Justice Departments are identical to the Mega-City One Judges. The Judges of Ireland, for example, are not only allowed to drink and smoke, they are also allowed to get married, whereas MC-1 Judges are prohibited from having love lives and have virtually no private lives of their own. Corruption is endemic amongst the Judges of Brit-Cit
Brit-Cit
Brit-Cit is a huge fictional city in the fictional universe of British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. It is also the home of Sam Slade in some of 2000AD's Robo-Hunter stories. The city covers the south of England and bordering on the Black Atlantic...
, and bribery is often essential to progress through the ranks of what is, compared to Mega-City's Judge system, little more than an authorized militia- or protection racket.
Judges also hear civil cases in block courts. These are courts in each City Block, where judges are assigned to try civil cases, such as compensation
Damages
In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...
claims, libel, slander, divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
and small claims matters.
Notable Judges appearing in the series include Judge Anderson
Judge Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
(of Psi Division), Judge Hershey
Judge Hershey
Judge Barbara Hershey is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd series that appears in British comic 2000 AD. For nearly two decades she regularly appeared as Dredd's sidekick, before being promoted to become his superior: she was chief judge for nine years...
, Judge Kraken
Judge Kraken
Judge Kraken is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip featured in the long-running British comic 2000 AD. Although he only appeared in a few episodes, he was nonetheless a very important character in Tale of the Dead Man, in which he was given almost equal billing with Dredd, and in...
, Judge Giant
Judge Giant
Judge Giant can refer to either of two fictional characters appearing in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. They are father and son...
and the eponymous Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
.
Divisions/Bodies
Within the Mega-City One legal system there are numerous bodies and divisions who have specialised tasks:- Academy of LawAcademy of LawThe Academy of Law is a fictional place of learning appearing in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional history:The Academy of Law is where the Judges of Mega-City One are trained...
- Psi DivisionPsi DivisionPsi-Division is a fictional organisation in the Judge Dredd and Anderson: Psi-Division comic strips in 2000 AD and Judge Dredd: The Megazine. It is the branch of Mega-City One's Justice Department that deals in supernatural phenomena, using Judges with psychic abilities. Psi-Judges are often...
(judges with psychic powers) - SJS (Special Judicial Squad: internal affairs)
- Technical Division, a.k.a. Tek Division (scientists)
- "Wally SquadWally SquadThe Wally Squad is a fictional undercover police force in the Judge Dredd stories of 2000 AD. Wally Squad agents were undercover judges noted for their eccentricity and borderline lunacy; these characteristic behaviours were an inevitable consequence of working undercover in a world of complete...
" (Undercover Division) - Space CorpsSpace Corps (Judge Dredd)The Space Corps of 2000 ADs Judge Dredd strip are a professional army which deals with conflicts and peacekeeping away from Earth. They have appeared in several stories, most notably Judge Dredd: Mandroid and its sequel....
- Public Surveillance UnitPublic Surveillance UnitThe Public Surveillance Unit or PSU is a fictional institution in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. It was introduced in progs 954 and 959 . Notable PSU characters in the comic strip are Judge Niles, its chief, and Judge Roffman, who frequently assists Judge Dredd in surveillance, espionage...
(PSU) - Defence Division
- Holocaust Squad (teams of disgraced Judges who undertake suicide missions at times of extreme peril to Mega-City One)
Training
Academy of Law
The Academy of Law is a fictional place of learning appearing in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional history:The Academy of Law is where the Judges of Mega-City One are trained...
, where they receive the intensive training and conditioning that will enable them to enforce law and order in the chaotic and confusing environment of Mega-City One
Mega-City One
Mega-City One is a huge fictional city-state covering much of what is now the Eastern United States in the Judge Dredd comic book series. The exact boundaries of the city depend on which artist has drawn the story...
.
A cadet is inducted into the Academy either as a cloned
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
infant (as was the case with Judge Dredd), or as a child aged five (although in exceptional cases older children have been recruited). After this the Academy is the recruit's entire world; unsupervised contact with the city outside is forbidden under any circumstances in order to maintain the strictest discipline and mental conditioning.
However, cadet Judges must leave both the Academy and the city itself during their "Hotdog Run". This is a training mission into the Cursed Earth, in order to test the cadets under combat conditions; fatalities are not unknown. A senior Judge will command and assess the cadets during the Hotdog Run.
On graduating from the Academy, cadets become known as rookie judges. A rookie's uniform is similar to that of a full judge, with two differences: the helmet is white rather than black and red, and the badge consists of only one half of a full judge's badge and does not show the rookie's name (see illustration, right). (Note however that some artists have wrongly depicted cadets in rookies' uniforms, and rookies in full judges' uniforms.)
Before becoming a full judge, a rookie must undergo assessment by a more experienced Senior Judge in order to gauge their suitability and competence. The failure rate is extremely high, with no second chances allowed. The few who pass their Final Assessment exchange their white helmet and "half-eagle" for the black and red helmet and "full eagle" at a brief ceremony before the chief judge.
Notable characters who have been seen taking their final assessments are the original Judge Giant
Judge Giant
Judge Giant can refer to either of two fictional characters appearing in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. They are father and son...
, the other Judge Giant, Judge Rico, Judge Kraken
Judge Kraken
Judge Kraken is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip featured in the long-running British comic 2000 AD. Although he only appeared in a few episodes, he was nonetheless a very important character in Tale of the Dead Man, in which he was given almost equal billing with Dredd, and in...
, and Dredd himself (in flashbacks).
History
The Judge System was created by Eustace FargoChief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Eustace Fargo is an important fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is Judge Dredd's clone father....
, special government prosecutor for street crime, between 2027 and 2031, to combat a rising tide of violent crime and to speed up the process of justice. While there was heavy protest in Congress over the idea of abandoning due process
Due process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
, the electorate was in favour and President Gurney (who supported Fargo's plan) was re-elected with a massive majority. The original uniforms heavily resembled that of normal American police officers, albeit with helmets and heavy body armour, and drove Lawranger motorcycles.
Following the Third World War
Atomic Wars
The Atomic Wars or Great Atom War is a fictional event in the Judge Dredd universe.In 2070, the possibly psychotic President Robert L. Booth started World War III by starting a nuclear war which dragged in all the major superpowers....
of 2070 the Judges overthrew the Government of the United States and seized power, with popular support, and the chief judge became the country's ruler. The Judicial model has subsequently spread throughout the globe becoming the most common form of government on Earth by the 22nd century.
Foreign variations
Every Mega-City seen is policed and run (either completely or partially) by a Judge system, which more or less resembles that of Mega-City One. Variations exist on the uniforms and overall system of government:- Some Judge systems, such as the Irish (Murphyville) and Australian (Sydney-Melbourne Conurb) ones, have far more lenient and relaxed laws and codes of practise for Judges. Conversely, Russia's East-Meg Two has a far more militarised and oppressive law, while Japan's Hondo CityHondo CityHondo City is a huge fictional city covering most of Japan in the Judge Dredd comic book series. Most of its development comes from the Judge Dredd Megazine strip Shimura by Robbie Morrison.-Description:...
has a more disciplined and stoic culture among the Judges. Casablancan Judges operate under Sufi-based law.
- Several systems are openly corrupt and serving the ruling figures - Ciudad BarranquillaCiudad BarranquillaCiudad Barranquilla, also known as Banana City, is a huge fictional city covering much of Central America in the Judge Dredd comic book series. Its name comes from the real city of Barranquilla in Colombia, although it is generally placed around the Buenos Aires city in Argentina...
is traditionally the main example, and criminal gangs had formed their own Judge force in Las Vegas. (An extremely high number of foreign Judge systems have been revealed to be corrupt in spin-off strips - Armitage reveals Brit-Cit justice to be corrupt and run by former ganglords, Shimura has Hondo justice infiltrated by the yakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
, Breathing Space has corrupt Luna-1 Judges...)
- The remit of the Judges may be different – the Pan-African JudgesPan-Africa (2000 AD)In the Judge Dredd comic book series, Pan-Africa is what remains of Africa following the Atom Wars, and is the home of several Megacities. A strip, Pan-African Judges by Paul Cornell and Siku, fleshed out most of its detail.-Description:...
are an inter-continental peacekeeping force.
- Control may not rest solely with the Judges, or at all: Japan still retains the Shogun as constitutional monarch, the Vatican's Judges (and the city itself) are still answerable to the Pope and senior priests, and Scotland's Cal-Hab Judges are a subordinate branch of Brit-City.
- Lunar colony Luna-1 traditionally gained many of its Judges from foreign Mega-Cities, and until 2099 the position of Judge Marshal was replaced every six months and held by a senior Earth Judge. It finally gained a mostly domestic Judge system solely because, following cataclysms like Judgement DayJudgement Day (Judge Dredd story)Judgement Day was a Judge Dredd story published with alternating episodes in both 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine in 1992. It was the first crossover between the two publications; three more have since followed...
, the Earth cities could not afford to send off any Judges.
- Brit-Cit's Justice Department has much of its internal work done by Administrators, who do not have judicial powers; in other Mega-Cities, almost every worker is a Judge (up to and including accountants).
- The Judicial forces of Brit-Cit, Murphyville, and Sino-Cit allow Judges to marry, have children and have some form of civilian life. Many other Mega-Cities stick with a monastic code, especially MC-1.
- Some Judges deliberately pattern their uniforms after their country's flag.
The foreign Judge stories and spin-off strips have been criticised for relying too much on foreign stereotypes and cliches – Egypt's Judges are based on Ancient Egyptians, the South American Judges are corrupt and incompetent and speak in exaggerated accents, Japanese Judges are samurai figures etc.
Places that lack a Judge force include the Mediterranean Free State, Mongolian Exclusion Zone, Canadia (Canada), and the Web (Borneo and Indonesian islands). In some cases, this is a deliberate choice; in others, such as the Web, it is because they cannot afford it.
Dark Judges
The Dark JudgesDark Judges
The Dark Judges are recurring villains in the fictional Judge Dredd universe recounted in the UK comic 2000 AD. They are Judge Death, Judge Fire, Judge Fear and Judge Mortis. Later storylines added the "Sisters of Death" , to their ranks...
are undead creatures from an alternative reality
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
("Deadworld").
Because all crime is committed by the living, the Dark Judges have concluded that life is a crime and the punishment they have decreed is death. They travel through different realities delivering their justice. As they do not live and cannot die, they therefore are not guilty. Their leader, Judge Death
Judge Death
Judge Death is a fictional character of the Judge Dredd universe recounted in the UK comic 2000 AD. He is the leader of the Dark Judges, a sinister group of undead law enforcers from the alternate dimension of Deadworld, where all life has been declared a crime since only the living commit crimes...
, is Judge Dredd's arch-enemy.
Before its extermination, Deadworld was ruled over by a murderous and corrupt Judge force; their uniforms were a grey, black and dark-red variation of Mega-City One's, with pterodactyls in place of eagles as decoration. There does not appear to have been an Atomic War in this world, as the cities shown resembled run-down 20th Century cities rather than the Mega-Cities. The Dark Judges took control of this Judge force and used it to assist them in their global genocide before disposing of it.
Chief Judges
- Judge FargoChief Judge FargoChief Judge Eustace Fargo is an important fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is Judge Dredd's clone father....
- Judge SolomonJudge SolomonChief Judge Hollins Solomon is a fictional character from the Judge Dredd stories in the comic 2000 AD. His first appearance in the comic was in a flashback in #68, in the 1978 story The Cursed Earth. However his main appearance is in the story Origins , as a recurring character in a series of...
- Judge GoodmanJudge GoodmanChief Judge Clarence Goodman is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd stories published in the British comic 2000 AD. He appeared in the first episode of Judge Dredd in March 1977 , and was the first regularly recurring supporting character.-Biography:Goodman was joint deputy chief judge at the...
- Judge CalJudge CalChief Judge Cal is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He was loosely based on the real life Roman emperor Caligula, who is widely considered to have been insane...
- Judge GriffinJudge GriffinChief Judge Griffin is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He was chief judge of Mega-City One between 2101 and 2104.-Fictional character biography :...
- Judge McGruderJudge McGruderChief Judge Hilda Margaret McGruder is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd stories published in the British comic 2000 AD. She was the first female Chief Judge of Mega-City One, and the first Judge of Mega-City One to become Chief Judge twice...
- Judge SilverJudge SilverChief Judge Thomas Silver was chief judge of the fictional city of Mega-City One in the Judge Dredd comic strip.-Fictional character biography:...
- Judge McGruder (second term)
- Judge VoltJudge VoltChief Judge Hadrian Volt is a fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He was chief judge of Mega-City One between 2116 and 2121 .-Fictional character biography:...
- Judge HersheyJudge HersheyJudge Barbara Hershey is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd series that appears in British comic 2000 AD. For nearly two decades she regularly appeared as Dredd's sidekick, before being promoted to become his superior: she was chief judge for nine years...
- Judge FranciscoJudge FranciscoChief Judge Dan Francisco is a fictional supporting character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is chief judge of Mega-City One.-Fictional character biography:...
- Judge SinfieldJudge SinfieldJudge Martin Sinfield is a fictional supporting character and antagonist in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD, most notably in the story "Tour of Duty"...
(acting chief judge) - Judge Francisco (second term)
Other notable judges
- Judge Joe DreddJudge DreddJudge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
- Former judge Rico DreddRico DreddRico Dredd is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD magazine. He is the brother of Judge Joe Dredd, the strip's eponymous lead character.-Appearances:...
- Judge RicoJudge RicoJudge Rico is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD magazine. He chose the name Rico to commemorate Rico Dredd.-Character biography:...
- Judge AndersonJudge AndersonJudge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
- Judge BuellJudge BuellJudge Arthur Buell is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in British comic 2000 AD. He is the current head of the Special Judicial Squad, the Internal Affairs division of the Judges of Mega-City One....
- Former judge Galen DeMarcoGalen DeMarcoGalen DeMarco is a fictional character in the world of Judge Dredd. She is a former street judge who first appeared in the Judge Dredd storyline "The Pit" in 2000 AD #970.-Biography:...
- Judge EdgarJudge EdgarJudge Jura Edgar is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. Although in most of her stories she is not evil or a murderer in the manner of most villains in the Judge Dredd series , she is nevertheless one of Dredd's adversaries...
- Judge Giant srJudge GiantJudge Giant can refer to either of two fictional characters appearing in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. They are father and son...
- Judge Giant jr
- Judge GriceJudge GriceJudge Grice was a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. Created in 1990 by John Wagner and Steve Dillon, Grice later had his own spin-off series, Purgatory by Mark Millar and Carlos Ezquerra...
- Judge GuthrieJudge GuthrieJudge Guthrie is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD.-Fictional character biography:Guthrie first appeared in the comic strip as an undercover judge in 2000 AD prog 971...
- Judge JanusJudge JanusJudge Judy Janus is a fictional character, a Judge within Mega-City One's Justice Department's Psi Division. She is portrayed as a young and dizzy psychic , who still manages to help solve the case in the end....
- Judge KrakenJudge KrakenJudge Kraken is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip featured in the long-running British comic 2000 AD. Although he only appeared in a few episodes, he was nonetheless a very important character in Tale of the Dead Man, in which he was given almost equal billing with Dredd, and in...
- Judge LopezJudge LopezJudge Lopez is a character in the epic Judge Dredd story, The Judge Child, which originally appeared in the British science fiction anthology comic 2000 AD issues 156–181, in 1980.-Publication history:...
- Judge NilesJudge NilesJudge Rog Niles is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in British comic 2000 AD. He first appeared in 2000 AD prog 706 . He is the head of the Public Surveillance Unit...
- Judge ShenkerJudge ShenkerJudge Shenker is a fictional supporting character in the Judge Dredd and Anderson, Psi Division comic strips in British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. He is the head of Psi Division...