Judge (or
street judge) is a title held by several significant characters in
Judge Dredd and other series which appear in the British comics
2000 AD and
Judge Dredd Megazine. In the fictional
future history of the series, the role of "Judge" combines those of
judge and
police officer, thus avoiding long legal wrangles by allowing for criminals to be tried and sentenced on the spot. Since they overthrew the
U.S. Constitution in 2070, Judges have also held supreme political power in
Mega-City One. Collectively they are known as the
Justice Department.