Special Judicial Squad

The Special Judicial Squad or SJS, in the fictional Judge Dredd stories appearing in 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine, are sometimes referred to as the Judges who judge the Judges. They could be considered comparable to an internal affairs division, with significant secret police attributes as well.

In the course of the strip, they've been presented as outright villains, brutish antagonists, or a neutral/good force depending on the story.

SJS judges wear uniforms that are a variation on the standard judge uniform, featuring the letters SJS, skull insignia, and differently styled helmet and shoulder pads. Different artists have depicted different interpretations of the uniform. The first artist to illustrate them was Brian Bolland for their first appearance in 2000 AD #86, but Mike McMahon's version in #91 was the first to feature the typical skull badge and distinctive shoulder pad with the wearer's name emblazoned on it. McMahon's design was used for the 2003 video game Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death. (John Burns's illustration, right, is based on McMahon's design.)

The SJS is despised by other Judges due to their extreme methods, which include random searches and the torture of Judges during interrogations. While Dredd has clashed with Squad over their methods, he has considered them a useful branch and in 2080 they tried to recruit him.

The insane Judge Cal controlled the SJS during his series of assassinations which gained him the position of chief judge, further enhancing their notoriety. As head of SJS, Cal was able to blackmail numerous corrupt judges into helping him, ensuring that he had plenty of allies to assist him in his coup d'état. This evidence eventually came to light over twenty years later, by which time many of Cal's subverted judges had been promoted to very senior positions in the Justice Department, and there were several arrests. When Cal usurped power, the SJS (depicted as a sinister Praetorian Guard to go with "Judge Caligula") attempted to frame Dredd for murder, and later tried to assassinate him. SJS Judge Quimby assassinated Chief Judge Goodman. Cal used the SJS to keep the other judges and citizens in line.

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Wikipedia