The Long Walk occurs when a Judge leaves the city for the Cursed Earth or the Undercity to "bring law to the lawless". Effectively, this is a way for many aging or tired Judges to 'die with their boots on' without causing problems for others: it's very rare a Judge will last very long (Judge Prager in the Undercity is a notable exception) and equally rare a Judge will ever return to the city.
It was first introduced in the strip in prog 147's strip "Judge Minty", where the eponymous Minty had become mentally incapable of being a Judge (thinking the citizens could be treated nicely). The captions described it as something that could be done "when a Judge's useful life was finished".
Some aging Judges choose the Long Walk because they no longer meet the physical requirements to patrol Mega City One as a Street Judge, but cannot imagine themselves retiring to a desk job or teaching post at the Academy of Law. Other Judges might take the Long Walk if they have been somehow disgraced or disillusioned. Judge Dredd once took the Long Walk because he grew disillusioned with the way the Justice Department was following procedure. Dirty Frank once used the excuse of taking the Long Walk to go on a 'disavowed' mission in Hondo City, under the pretence that an undercover mission was a Long Walk for Wally Squad.
The Long Walk begins with a ceremony where the retiring Judge receives a gun salute by his comrades.
Texas City and Ciudad Barranquilla both have Long Walk traditions as well. The Texan Saul Cain, the "Missionary Man", took a Long Walk when his guilty conscience caught up with him. Barranquilla's Long Walk appears to be a punishment for Judges who've transgressed, as Judge Mineiro was about to be cast out via Long Walk Boulevard in The Returners and was not expected to survive.
In the 1995 film, the Long Walk is mandatory for all Judges upon retirement. In that story, Chief Justice Fargo chose to take his own Long Walk when Dredd was found guilty of murder. Feeling disgraced, and at the suggestion of Judge Griffin (who became his successor as Chief Justice), Fargo sets out into the Cursed Earth.
Notable Judges Who Have Taken The Long Walk[]
- Judge Dredd
- Chief Judge McGruder
- Judge Minty
- Minty (Edmund Dehn)
- Chief Justice Fargo (Max von Sydow)
Gallery[]
