the Judges' suppression of the Democratic March. In the Cursed Earth, Dredd learned about the catastrophe known as Necropolis, and returned to Mega-City One to defeat the Dark Judges, recruiting McGruder along the way. Thus, Dredd and McGruder were the first judges ever to return to the city after taking the Long Walk. This later became the focus of former Chief Judge Silver's legal challenge to McGruder's return to the office, as Silver insisted that McGruder was disqualified from being chief judge as "Judges don't go back". Silver did not object to Dredd adjudicating between them even though Dredd had also returned from the Long Walk. After the Justice Department's strength was reduced during Judgment Day, Necropolis, and the Second Robot War, a street judge position was offered to Judge Prager – who had survived over 20 years in the Undercity – even though he was infected with lycanthropy, making him a werewolf. He declined and returned to the Undercity after stocking up on supplies. In the 1995 film, Chief Judge Fargo (played by Max von Sydow) steps down, using his last request to save Dredd from execution. He takes the Long Walk into the Cursed Earth and is later killed by Mean Machine Angel. (The 2000 AD comic strip version of this character never took the Long Walk.) History The Judge System was created by Eustace Fargo, special government prosecutor for street crime, between 2027 and 2031, to combat a rising tide of violent crime and to speed up the process of justice. While there was heavy protest in Congress over the idea of abandoning due process, the electorate was in favour and President Gurney (who supported Fargo's plan) was re-elected with a massive majority. The original uniforms heavily resembled those of normal American police officers, albeit with helmets and heavy body armour, and rode Lawranger motorcycles. Following the Third World War of 2070 and discovering that President Booth had stolen the election, the Judges invoked "the oldest law of them all" (the Declaration of Independence), overthrowing the Government of the United States and seizing power, with popular support, and the chief judge became the country's ruler. The Judicial model has subsequently spread throughout the globe becoming the most common form of government on Earth by the 22nd century. Chief Judge Office and powers Until 2117 the chief judge was the ex officio chairman of the Council of Five,