Background[]
Justice Department, based in the Grand Hall of Justice, is effectively the governing body of Mega-City One, a sprawling metropolis covering most of the eastern seaboard of the former United States of America in the 22nd century. The city still has an elected Mayor and City Council, but they have no real power, their existence merely serving to draw attention away from the fact that the city is effectively a dictatorship policed by the Judges and their ruling Council of Five (led by the Chief Judge), who took control in a coup in 2070 and have retained it ever since. Like other conquering regimes, they have turned the symbols of the conquered to their own use: Justice Department's main emblem is the eagle, formerly the national emblem of the USA, but they also use stars juxtaposed with stripes (although these stripes are vertical, rather than the horizontal ones that were used in the USA's flag). At the time of writing, the Chief Judge is Judge Logan. (In the rôle's early days the Chief Judge was sometimes referred to as the "Grand Judge", though this term seems to have been quietly dropped.) At one point, the Judges appear to have operated alongside a regular police force, but this body has not been heard of in decades and was presumably abolished as it was pretty much redundant. Judges are trained at the Academy of Law' which prospective candidates are inducted into at the age of five. From that moment on, they have no life outside their job, and most personal relationships (including any involving sex and/or marriage) are forbidden. The Department also employs civilian informants to spy on their fellow citizens, including a children's club run by the pseudonymous 'Judge Pal'; kids can win prizes by turning in their parents!
Chief Judges[]
Former Chief Judges include the founder of the Judge system, Chief Judge Fargo, as well as Chief Judge Lewis (of Texas City, now effectively a Mega-City One protectorate), Chief Judge Silver, Chief Judge Dan Francisco, Judge Caligula, Chief Judge McGruder, Judge Hadrian Volt, Chief Judge Griffin, Judge Sinfield, Judge Hershey (twice!) and Judge Clarence Goodman. Most of these people are now dead; Chief Judge is not usually a position one retires from. Chief Judges were formerly appointed by the Council of Five, but are now elected by 1,200 senior Judges.
The Council of Five[]
The Council of Five, who make most of the actual decisions, were originally a guiding committee founded by Chief Judge Goodman in 2057, but are now to all intents and purposes the city's central government. Until recently and for many years, the Chief Judge was a member of the Council, though this has now changed. However, the Chief Judge still generally attends and chairs the meetings. In the Chief Judge's absence, they are chaired by the Deputy Chief Judge, who is appointed by the Council. Judge Dredd resisted accepting a place on the Council for years but eventually joined, later standing down after a change in administration.
Former and current members of the Council (excluding former Chief Judges) include:
- Judge Pepper
- Judge Dredd
- Judge America Beeny
- Judge Bachmann
- Judge Shenker
- Judge Buell
- Judge Niles
- Judge Maitland (not confirmed)
Justice Department divisions[]
Justice Department is made up of a number of divisions with responsibility in certain areas. These include:
- PSU (the Public Surveillance Unit, headquartered at the Grand Hall of Justice; responsible for monitoring the citizens and maintaining control). Formerly run by Judge Edgar and later Judge Niles.
- SJS (the Special Judicial Squad, an internal affairs division responsible for judging the Judges themselves). Its longtime head was Judge Buell.
- Undercover Operations (formerly headed by Carolyn Bachmann; this division includes the Wally Squad)
- Tek-Division (responsible for developing, obtaining and monitoring technology)
- Department K (an offshoot of Tek-Division, responsible for dealing with extradimensional incursions)
- Psi-Division (a division composed of dedicated psychics such as Psi-Judge Anderson, Psi-Judge Corey, Psi-Judge Janus or Psi-Judge Karyn and headed by Judge Shenker, who are responsible for predicting problems and dealing with threats beyond the scope of ordinary Judges)
- Accounts Division (speaks for itself; a mostly despised division, though Judge Maitland is ok)
- Public Relations (another division not looked upon with much affection by the rest of the department. It is presumably they who run the Black Museum)
- Street Judges (the bulk of the department, those who actually patrol the streets and maintain order; the most famous of these is Judge Joseph Dredd)
- Colonial Marshals (responsible for maintaining a Justice Department presence on colony worlds; Marshal Metta Lawson is probably the most notable)
- Academy of Law (the training ground for new Judges; tutors at the Academy are often Judges who have been forced out of active service by injury, such as Judge Pepper and Judge Griffin)
The Law[]
The laws of Mega-City One are many, and often seem extremely harsh to our eyes. (One exception is its stance on sexuality: you can do whatever with whoever, as long as all parties consent and don't cause a public nuisance.) Possession of sugar, for instance, is totally illegal, as is possession of coffee, a banned stimulant. Citizens effectively have no civil rights and are subject to random personal and home searches to look for evidence of potential wrongdoing. Judges are empowered to hand out incredibly harsh sentences, including life imprisonment in the iso-cubes or even summary execution, for even relatively minor misdemeanours if they deem circumstances warrant them. This is how Justice Department maintains control.
And that control is total.
Notable members[]
For other notable members, see the Judge Dredd disambiguation page.