Judge Volt

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caption = Chief Judge Volt (painted by Carlos Ezquerra)
character_name = Judge Volt
publisher = Rebellion Developments
debut = "2000 AD" prog 917 (1994)
creators = John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra
alter_ego =
full_name = Hadrian Volt
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Chief 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 (appearing in the comic between 1994 and 1999).

He became a street judge in 2096 and fought in the First Robot War and the Apocalypse War. He later served in the SJS and in the Aliens Bureau. In 2114 he was promoted to chief of Sector 53, where his outstanding administrative ability and judgement reduced violent crime in his sector to the second lowest level in the city. ["2000 AD" #917]

When Chief Judge McGruder resigned her office in 2116, there was no Council of Five to choose a new chief judge in the normal way, since she had dissolved the Council years earlier. Therefore she ordered that her successor be elected by the city's 400 Senior Judges. After careful consideration, Volt decided to stand as a candidate in this unprecedented election, and polled a clear majority of the votes (208), defeating three other candidates, including Judge Dredd himself. (Ironically most people had believed that Dredd would win, but – as Dredd himself observed – he had annoyed too many judges over the years. Dredd even voted for Volt himself!) ["2000 AD" #918]

Volt immediately set about instituting significant constitutional reforms. He reinstated the Council and permanently established the new system of electing chief judges. In 2117 he restored the obsolete office of Mayor of Mega-City One and created a council of elected citizens to give the people more say in how they were governed (although ultimate power continued to reside with the Justice Department). ["2000 AD" #957] He also established a policy of encouraging the judges to foster better relations with the community. ["Judge Dredd Megazine" vol. 3 #9]

He was also the author of two books: "Riding the Apocalyspe," a history of the Apocalypse War, ["2000 AD" #1167] and "Just Justice," setting out his ideas for legal and political reforms. ["Judge Dredd Megazine" vol. 3 #9]

In many ways Volt proved to be an outstanding chief judge. But when the city was overrun in the Second Robot War of 2121 he blamed himself for having failed to do enough to prevent it. Even when the war was ultimately won, the burden of personal responsibility weighed too heavily on his mind for him to bear. He waited until the bitter end, and then at the moment of victory he shot himself. ["Judge Dredd Megazine" vol. 3 #59]

But the general public would never be told the truth. Acting Chief Judge Hershey decided that in the aftermath of such a cataclysmic conflict the Judges' interests required a more heroic death for their fallen leader. The Public Deception Unit therefore set about concocting a false story in which Volt had died valiantly in combat, and fabricated the evidence to prove it. ["2000 AD" #1167]

Volt was the perfect Judge to reform the Justice System which under his two predecessors had become badly corrupt and damaged. ["2000 AD" #918] Ultimately however he simply was not up to the job of wartime leader. This has however been true of many chief judges, with power usually passing to Dredd in times of crisis, as seen for example in the Apocalypse War and Necropolis.

Volt was succeeded by Deputy Chief Judge Hershey, who was elected chief judge in her own right in early 2122.

References