“Travelling Judges”

[alfred_the_great]

I recently read a source that talked about “travelling judges” that went around frontier worlds and dispensed the Empreror’s Justice. 
 

however, since then, my Google-fu has failed me. 
 

Does this ring any bells in any of you?

[Lysimachus]

It sounds like the Judges from Judge Dredd taking the Long Walk when they retire, taking the law to the lawless, etc?

 

I can't remember if there is a specific parallel, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me - a lot/most of the 40k Arbites stuff is Dredd inspired...

[Mazer Rackham]

Might be the 'Suffering Marshal' you're looking for.

 

And boy, does he...

 

Courtesy of a WIKI, not Lexi (don't shoot me:

Spoiler

An Arbitrator rank found only on the harsh and brutal world of Iocanthos in the Calixis Sector, a Suffering Marshal is a stalwart and resourceful agent of the Arbites assigned to track down skilled fugitives who flee to Iocanthos to escape Imperial Law.

These lone operatives must remain resolute in their duties, whose dedication to the Imperium and its laws drive them on, alone, for as long as it takes to catch those who would jeopardise the planet's chief export of Ghostfire, a crop used to make combat drugs.

Suffering Marshals are given a great deal of personal discretion in so far as how they go about their duties, a necessity of their work, but one that many more traditional Arbites consider to be dangerous. While each Marshal is called upon sooner or later to track down specific fugitives and deliver righteous punishment, it is also their duty to know intimately the frontiers in which these criminals will eventually try to hide.

They are free to travel the planet, with massive banners to signal their position to the locals. Called "Flags" by many because of their identifying banners, local settlements and tribes will flock to the Marshal for judgement in tribal affairs.

In this way, these solitary agents of the Adeptus Arbites become experts on the customs, environments, and populations of dozens of frontier outposts and locales, and are adept at learning new mores and cultures quickly.

 

[Emperor Ming]

While they maybe inspired by judge dredd, arbites are very far from their scfi counterparts

 

Remember arbites have nothing to do with planetary civil law, e.g murder, stealing and such like, 

 

They are there to enforce the pax imperialis. 

 

The Imperium is so vast, there probably is wandering judges somewhere

[alfred_the_great]

1 hour ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Might be the 'Suffering Marshal' you're looking for.

 

And boy, does he...

 

Courtesy of a WIKI, not Lexi (don't shoot me:

  Reveal hidden contents

An Arbitrator rank found only on the harsh and brutal world of Iocanthos in the Calixis Sector, a Suffering Marshal is a stalwart and resourceful agent of the Arbites assigned to track down skilled fugitives who flee to Iocanthos to escape Imperial Law.

These lone operatives must remain resolute in their duties, whose dedication to the Imperium and its laws drive them on, alone, for as long as it takes to catch those who would jeopardise the planet's chief export of Ghostfire, a crop used to make combat drugs.

Suffering Marshals are given a great deal of personal discretion in so far as how they go about their duties, a necessity of their work, but one that many more traditional Arbites consider to be dangerous. While each Marshal is called upon sooner or later to track down specific fugitives and deliver righteous punishment, it is also their duty to know intimately the frontiers in which these criminals will eventually try to hide.

They are free to travel the planet, with massive banners to signal their position to the locals. Called "Flags" by many because of their identifying banners, local settlements and tribes will flock to the Marshal for judgement in tribal affairs.

In this way, these solitary agents of the Adeptus Arbites become experts on the customs, environments, and populations of dozens of frontier outposts and locales, and are adept at learning new mores and cultures quickly.

 

thanks - originally from the Dark Heresy Arbites source book. 

[Remain_Indoors]

On 3/23/2024 at 5:22 PM, alfred_the_great said:

I recently read a source that talked about “travelling judges” that went around frontier worlds and dispensed the Empreror’s Justice. 
 

however, since then, my Google-fu has failed me. 
 

Does this ring any bells in any of you?

The Leviathan Crusade book establishes that there also entire judgement fleets of Arbites upholding the Pax Imperium. 

[Sword Brother Adelard]

On 3/23/2024 at 5:22 PM, alfred_the_great said:

I recently read a source that talked about “travelling judges” that went around frontier worlds and dispensed the Empreror’s Justice. 
 

however, since then, my Google-fu has failed me. 
 

Does this ring any bells in any of you?

 

This is actually a thing in real life.

 

Traditionallly, the assize courts were held as the assize judges travelled around the country, even today certain serious crimes in England and Wales can only be heard by High Court Judges, of which there is a finite number and not full demand, so the high court judges travel around and stay in judges lodgings in Crown court towns and cities while they are hearing those trials.

 

We call them the Red Judges, as they wear red.