History Main / JudgeJuryAndExecutioner

* In ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', if ComicBook/SheHulk and [[Franchise/XMen Magneto]] are on opposite teams, she says the trope name in her introduction.

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* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', NOOSE officers sometime declare themselves to be "the judge and the jury, [[PrecisionFStrike MUTHAFUCKA]]", although any law enforcement officer in the VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto series qualifies.

* The Enforcers of ''[[VideoGame/AllPointsBulletin APB]]'' are these in the city limits of San Paro, thanks to a law enacted by the mayor.
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
** When it comes to [[TheUsualAdversaries Darkspawn]] and especially Blights (where Darkspawn come out in force led by an [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Archdemon]]), Grey Wardens are called to do whatever it takes to end the Darkspawn threat. Mage wardens are beyond the authority of the [[CrystalDragonJesus Chantry]], and they can even conscript kings (though warden-commanders are wise not to overstep their de-facto bounds, no matter what the law says). Darkspawn are [[MatterOfLifeAndDeath that dire a threat]]. Even the Dalish Elves, who normally shun the thought of bending knee to human lords, will answer the call of the Wardens.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', the Kirkwall Templars turn into this under the leadership of Knight-Commander Meredith. They're already breaking their own rules at the start of the game - by the end, Meredith is sending hit squads into the slums to summarily execute mage sympathizers. She comes ''this'' close to the trope name at one point:
---> "We must be judges, jailers, and even executioners."
** The ''PlayerCharacter'' frequently becomes this in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. They have final say on the fate of any prisoners - and if you pick "death", it's usually them swinging the sword. There are more merciful options (and some [[CruelMercy seemingly merciful options]]), but either way it's exclusively the Inquisitor's decision.

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' is an alternate version of the DC Comics where Superman goes rogue and sets up a planet-wide dictatorship after killing ComicBook/TheJoker. Instead of following truth, justice, and the American Way, Superman now believes in lies, injustice, and the authoritarian way via his hardline stance on crime. It is even lampshaded by Atlantis' archivist ([[spoiler:a ComicBook/MartianManhunter in disguise]]), who describes him as this when explaining the backstory on Superman's rise to power to an alternate version of Aquaman who didn't go rogue.

** [[spoiler: Two-Face]] becomes one of these under the guise of the Judge, in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. He tries to execute several super-villains [[spoiler: including himself]], as a result of [[spoiler: a third personality developing because of Harvey's former sense of justice, despising that he had become Two-Face]]. It ends with [[spoiler: Two-Face sitting in a cell, and his third voice demanding what he pleads]]. "[[MadnessMantra Guilty.. Guilty.. Guilty..]]"

* Walker the ghost warden in ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' is judge, jury, and executioner -and ''really'' [[HangingJudge likes the executioner part.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MonkeyDust'' - The Paedofinder General's entire career is spent accusing people of being pedophiles.. His evidence is always based on completely spurious coincidences or otherwise innocuous irrelevancies. He then pronounces the sentence which is always death. The fact that he is a parody of actual UK paedo witch-hunt logic is somewhat worrying.
* WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck uses this as a humorous charade on WesternAnimation/PorkyPig in the classic short "Boobs In The Woods."

* It pops up in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' on the rare times they're able to simply incapacitate a villain rather than taking them down with the Elements of Harmony or other such magic attacks. They'll decide on the spot what to do with the villain, with Twilight Sparkle typically leaning towards trying to [[DefeatEqualsFriendship talk them into giving friendship a chance and giving them a shot at reformation]] like she did with Starlight Glimmer, while Princess Celestia and Princess Luna [[GoodIsNotSoft prefer to be much harsher]] and [[DraggedOffToHell dump their foes in Tartarus]] or [[TakenForGranite seal them in stone]] indefinitely like they did with Cozy Glow, Queen Chrysalis, and Lord Tirek.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1621204586028217400
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

** Gundam Exia is designed with solid-edge GN Blades, as opposed to the common Beam Saber used in most series. (Though, [[SpamAttack he has]] [[ILikeSwords those, too]].) GN Blades, covered in a layer of GN Particles, can cut through "GN Field" energy shields... which are supposedly only usable by Gundams. Ultimately, Exia was designed to be particularly good at destroying enemies built with stolen Celestial Being designs... or traitorous teammates. [[spoiler: Obviously, this is very useful fighting a traitor to Celestial Being who's slapped enough CB tech together to make a small battleship with equivalently powerful shields and cannons. It also makes a lot more sense why Setsuna, the loose cannon of the team, would be given these weapons, when it was originally intended to use an Innovade - an obsessively loyal artificial human, like Tieria - who was too self-centered to put himself on the front lines when he could use a far more obsessively loyal stunt double.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Strider}}'', Kazakh Secret Police kill off captured rebels just to save off court fees.
* ''Manga/{{Nightschool}}'' has the Sohrem, the sentient and mysterious power that has implanted itself into Alex, Marina, and Ronee, is this. It believes it is bringing justice to the world, punishing it for not helping those with bad lives. Case in point, all of the hosts it takes, both before its sealing AND after, were children who had suffered through terrible things, but remained unbroken.
* In ''Anime/PsychoPass'', the Dominators are effectively this. They measure a person's Psycho-Pass, determine whether they're in need of therapy or unsalvageable, and enter the appropriate mode. Their wielders, however, who are the ones deciding when to pull the trigger, are not.

* The Law Machines in ''ComicBook/BuckGodotZapGunForHire'', they've been known to arrest entire governments that broke the laws the population voted for.

* ''ComicBook/BratPack'' features Judge Jury, who is basically ComicBook/ThePunisher [[CorruptedCharacterCopy but as a Klansman]].

* In ''ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}'' comics, the Wingmen often act as this. Especially the Elite Hawkman Force.

* In ''ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison'', Red Hood's run as an Anti-Villain is this, with him killing criminals left and right without any remorse. Unnervingly, half of Gotham citizens support his view, considering that their city is a Wretched Hive filled with the criminally insane. Thanks to this, the cartel sent the Flamingo to deal with him.

* ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'': Early on , the four unhappily experience the first two elements of this trope firsthand with the Pyar city guards.
* ''Film/JudgeMinty'': The ''Judge Dredd'' version receives an examination. Minty has grown disillusioned by the brutality inherent in his role and the way the system works, but his first attempt at showing mercy gets him shot and removed from active duty for his lapse in judgement. Put simply, mercy is a nice idea, but Mega-City One is too much of a CrapsackWorld for it to be of any use.

%%* In ''Fanfic/CitiesInDust'', Legislacerators are the law.

* Judge Doom in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': "I'll catch the rabbit, Mr. Valiant, and I'll try him, convict him, and ''execute him''." Although when he does find Roger, he skips straight to the "execute" step, because he seems to [[HangingJudge like that step]]. Even when he delivers that speech, [[KickTheDog he painfully murders a cute cartoon shoe]] by lowering it into a barrel of acid-like Dip.
* In ''Film/TheProposition'', Cpt. Stanley appoints himself judge and jury, but not executioner, using the titular proposition as a rather creative way of fighting crime. Unfortunately, the governor thinks that ''he'' should be judge and jury, but not executioner.
* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/HotFuzz''. [[spoiler:Nicholas tells Danny that their boss (and Danny's father), Frank, has declared himself this. Danny, clearly in denial, [[MoodWhiplash retorts that his father is]] ''[[MoodWhiplash not]]'' [[MoodWhiplash Judge Judy and Executioner]].]]

* The Operative from ''Film/{{Serenity}}''. Near as an attentive viewer can determine, Operatives are given functional carte blanche in the service of the Alliance.

* Ditto for ''Film/{{Dredd}}''. Basically, the whole film can be summed up as Dredd executing hundreds of criminals who are resisting arrest during a drug bust. Although problems don't really start until he captures one of the gang's chief members alive during a raid early on and the boss can't afford to have him talk, thus deciding to trap Dredd and Anderson inside the building.
--> "Negotiation's over. The sentence is death."
* In ''Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation'', Alan Hunley from CIA tells the Prime Minister that Ethan, who he thinks has gone rogue, has declared himself this.

* ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'': [[VigilanteMan Jefferson]] [[CrusadingWidow Hope]] in ''A Study in Scarlet'' actually describes himself using these words.
--> "It's enough that they were responsible for the deaths of [[ItsPersonal two human beings]]...[[BestServedCold I determined]] that I should be their judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one."
* The Lensmen (especially the Gray Lensmen) from Creator/EEDocSmith's ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series. They duly justify this by noting that only the most disciplined, principled, morally-grounded men are qualified to wear a Lens. To help with this, the final arbiters are existing Lensmen who can use their abilities to judge the fitness of candidates. Gray Lensmen go far beyond that, qualifying by possessing unique qualities of mind to ''independently'' know what is right, to know what it takes to get it done, and to keep going until it's done.
* Slyly parodied in ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'': Officer Shrift (who is [[PunnyName very short]]) arrests Milo, then prepares to try him. When Milo protests that 'only a judge can sentence you', Shrift agrees and slips into judicial robes on the spot. As he's leading Milo away to serve his six million year sentence, Milo informs him that 'only a jailer can put you in prison'. Again, the officer agrees, pulls out a bunch of keys, and leads Milo triumphantly away. Fortunately, it soon turns out he doesn't care about ''keeping'' people in prison.

* The White Council's Wardens in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. If you break any of the Laws of Magic, they're free to kill you where you stand. Only another wizard can ask for something resembling a trial, and they put their own life on the line in doing so.
* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}''[==]'s Warden of Marshwood Hill. "These are my marshes and I alone am the laaaaaaaaaaaaaw!"
* ''Literature/TheExecutioner'' series of action novels by Don Pendleton. VigilanteMan and OneManArmy Mack Bolan is offered a 'license' for his Mafia-busting activities by Justice Department boss Hal Brognola. He turns it down as he "doesn't want to drag the country into hell with him". Later on however he becomes a government anti-terrorist operative under the Stony Man program.
* Thomas Theisman, from ''Literature/HonorHarrington'', took this role when showing StateSec [[spoiler:head Saint-Just]] [[BoomHeadshot an abbreviated legal procedure]]. Part of that is because of his distaste for StateSec's typical KangarooCourt proceedings.

--->[[AC:"THERE IS NO JUSTICE. THERE IS ONLY ME."]]
---> [[AC:"WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?"]]
* Referenced in ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''. Alice asks a mouse why the mouse dislikes dogs, and is treated to a poem on how a terrier acts as both prosecutor, judge and jury to a mouse it has encountered. Presumably the dog would have been executioner too, but since Alice got distracted and stopped listening, we will never know the end of the poem.
-->Said the Mouse to the cur,\\
"Such a trial, dear sir,\\
With no jury or judge, would be wasting our breath."\\
"I'll be judge, I'll be jury,"\\
Said cunning old Fury,\\
"I'll try the whole cause and condemn you to death."
* An even sillier example is detailed in Carroll's ''Literature/TheHuntingOfTheSnark'', where the Barrister dreams of a courtroom where the Snark is at first defending a pig for deserting its sty, but ends up having to also take on the roles of the judge, jury, and ''prosecutor'' at the same time. It eventually finds the pig guilty and sentences it to "transportation for life, and then to be fined forty pounds" only to discover that [[ShaggyDogStory "the pig had been dead for some years."]]
* The Alvin Fogg novels of Creator/JTEdson feature Company Z of the Texas Rangers, charged with dealing justice to those whose crimes cannot be punished by conventional law. This usually involves a summary execution by the members of Company Z.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', it was the custom of the First Men that "the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword". This tradition is carried on by Northmen in general, and by House Stark in particular.
** ''Literature/FireAndBlood'' shows this off with Cregan Stark, when he's appointed Hand of young Aegon III, following the sudden poisoning of Aegon II by his own men. Cregan marches into King's Landing, terrifies everyone into submission, gets appointed Hand and starts putting the conspirators on trial. The guilty are scheduled for execution. One claimant's plea that he'd already been found innocent is met with the response "not by me". Fortunately, Cregan being from the North also offers some clemency if they join the Night's Watch.
* In ''Literature/TheKingkillerChronicle: Literature/TheWiseMansFear'', we learn about the Ciridae, a sect of the ChurchMilitant Amyr whose actions are "above reproach", to the point that if they walk up to someone on the street and kill them, no one would question their decision.
* In ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'', the Seeker is described as being "...a person who answers to no one but himself; he is law unto himself. The Sword of Truth is his to wield as he wishes, and within his own strength, he can hold anyone to answer for anything."

-->'''Gus:''' [to Dan Suggs] I don't know what makes you think we'd tote you all the way to a jail.

-->'''Bailie Nicol Jarvie:''' "Ah, but ye judge Rob hardly," said the Bailie, "ye judge him hardly, puir chield; and the truth is, that ye ken naething about our hill country, or Hielands, as we ca' them. They are clean anither set frae the like o' huz;—there's nae bailie-courts amang them—nae magistrates that dinna bear the sword in vain, like the worthy deacon that's awa', and, I may say't, like mysell and other present magistrates in this city—But it's just the laird's command, and the loon maun loup; and the never another law hae they but the length o' their dirks—the broadsword's pursuer, or plaintiff, as you Englishers ca' it, and the target is defender; the stoutest head bears langest out;—and there's a Hieland plea for ye."
* ''Literature/TheRiseOfKyoshi'': It was implied in [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender the original series]], but it's given more detail here. Kyoshi was one of the harshest Avatars, an unrelenting judge who brought swift justice across the land. However, in the book she is still young (the duology ends before she's eighteen), and so she spends a lot of time trying to find other solutions, trying to be a diplomat or a friend like her predecessors. By the end of ''Literature/TheShadowOfKyoshi'', she's realized that she's a blunt object, and not to try to be anything else.
-->'''Lao Ge:''' You don't understand. She told me to tell you she realizes her entire mistake was trying to dabble in politics with you. My friend is not a diplomat. She is the failure of diplomacy. She is the breakdown of negotiations. There is no escalation of hostilities beyond her.

* "Literature/TheMoralVirologist": John Shawcross has such extreme hatred for those who have committed even minor sins against his religion that he engineers a virus with the express intent to kill off anyone who has sinned even once. This is despite Literature/TheBible including such passages as "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord" and "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Shawcross also doesn't seem to make any distinction between those who are currently actively sinning and [[HeelFaceDoorSlam those who repented and found Jesus]]. At the very least, there is no mention of any way that his synthetic virus could tell whether the genetic markers it detects came from a years-old liaison or last week. He somehow becomes an even more extreme case of this trope when [[spoiler:he lets children die--whom he admits are innocent before God--in order to prevent anyone from finding out a cure for the disease and potentially letting life go back to normal]].
* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': Ozriel the Reaper, Eighth Judge of the Abidan Court, is the Judge in charge of destroying corrupted worlds. He is the only one who can destroy a world so utterly that it leaves behind no Chaos fragments to pollute the rest of the universe, making him invaluable. Unfortunately, this still involves murdering millions of people for every world--people who, he insists, they ''could'' have saved if they had intervened earlier. Ozriel argued with the other Judges for centuries on this point, until he eventually reached a point where he simply couldn't kill worlds any more. The series starts with his peer Suriel looking for him, as he has disappeared without a trace.

* The song "[[Music/StAnger Dirty Window]]" by Music/{{Metallica}} has the trope said word by word in one of the chorus lines, as a metaphor for figurative judgment.
-->''I'm judge, and I'm jury, and I'm executioner too...''
* Music/LittleBigTown's "Welcome to the Family" features the line "Grandpa's the local sheriff, yeah, he's the judge and the jury too." No mention of executioner, but the next line is "Uncle Bill's the undertaker"...

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': [[TheEmpire The Imperium]], perhaps unsurprisingly, includes several [[StateSec organizations and individuals]] with this power. The Adeptus Arbites (who [[CaptainErsatz rather resemble]] the [[ComicBook/JudgeDredd Judges of Mega City]]) who govern the populace, the [[ThePoliticalOfficer Commissars]] of the [[RedshirtArmy Imperial Guard]], the [[ChurchMilitant Ecclesiarchy]] (who tend to favor some of the more [[FateWorseThanDeath unusual]] [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment punishments]]) and the Inquisition. The Inquisition has executed billions of people, be they guilty or not of whatever crime they were accused of. And they also have an [[EarthShatteringKaboom extreme measure]] that they will use to purge a planet of taint when it is considered "irredeemable." (and the philosophy behind it specifically states that the billions of innocent casualties that are often included is acceptable collateral damage; after all, the Imperium will never run out of people).

* ''TabletopGame/HcSvntDracones'': The [[LawEnforcementInc IRPF]] has Inquisitors who are empowered to hand out summary judgements in order to relieve the workload on their courts, though they're rarely allowed to give out sentences more severe than a year in prison. Which isn't to say that it doesn't happen sometimes.

%%* ''VideoGame/BloodlineChampions'': The Inhibitor, as well as being a ChurchMilitant, does this.

''[cue OneWingedAngel]''\\

-->'''Max:''' When we find Santa, leave the talking to me. And the hasty trial, the harsh sentancing and the immediate execution!
-->'''Sam:''' Hold on. You can't be Santa's judge, jury and executioner. Don't I get to do anything?
* Marta from ''VideoGame/OutlastII'' has such a strong faith that she is hesitant about killing those who oppose Temple Gate. Knoth tells her that she is trusted to perform the sacred duty of being witness, judge, and executioner to have her go through.
* The Death Squads from ''VideoGame/LiberalCrimeSquad''. Only appearing when Death Penalty and Police Regulation laws are Arch-Conservative, they execute [[AllCrimesAreEqual any]] criminal they catch on the spot.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork4'' has Duo, a sort of super-Navi created by an ancient civilization and written onto a satellite computer to go around erasing planets as he sees fit. Too bad he happens to fly by Earth during TheSyndicate's main operation: spreading PsychoSerum and creating a sudden influx of EVIL all over the world. Good thing we've got [[MessianicArchetype Lan and MegaMan]] to kick his ass and [[DefeatMeansFriendship make him spare us]]! Along with the ''world at once'' yelling at him to stop.

** The origins of the Justice system that Dredd operates in are explored in, appropriately, ''Origins''. Eustace Fargo, the first Chief Judge and [[TrulySingleParent Dredd's clone father]], pioneered a radical approach of 'instant justice' when crime and urban decay in the United States became intolerable by the mid-21st century. After WorldWarIII, they deposed the PresidentEvil who started the war, establishing a literal PoliceState in [[FallenStatesOfAmerica what remained of the country]]. Other areas of the world are shown to have established similarly brutal systems of policing and government. And their ''worse'' counterparts on [[MirrorUniverse Deadworld]] [[OmnicidalManiac skip the judge and jury parts of the shtick entirely]].

* ''Series/KamenRiderOutsiders'': [[spoiler:This crossover anthology has Kamen Rider Zein, an omniscient and omnipotent Rider based on the eponymous artificial intelligence that seeks to bring order to the world. Befitting Zein's zero-tolerance for malice, it believes that it has a position to judge those individuals that it perceives as "evil" without second thoughts, even if the villains in question are morally grey at best. The AI enlisted [[Series/KamenRiderDenO Yuto Sakurai]], formerly Kamen Rider Zeronos, to don the suit and armor to carry out executing villainous Riders with extreme prejudice; something that [[Series/KamenRiderDrive Tenjuro Banno]], one of the known vilest ''Kamen Rider'' villain in recent history, painfully learned [[BewareTheSuperman the hard way]].]]

** In ''ComicBook/FatalAttractionsMarvelComics'', ComicBook/RachelSummers mocks ComicBook/{{Cable}}'s "I'm judge, jury and executioner" mindset.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': [[TheEmpire The Imperium]], perhaps unsurprisingly, includes several [[StateSec organizations and individuals]] with this power. The Adeptus Arbites (who [[CaptainErsatz rather resemble]] the [[ComicBook/JudgeDredd Judges of Mega City]]) who govern the populace, the [[CommissarCap Commissars]] of the [[RedshirtArmy Imperial Guard]], the [[ChurchMilitant Ecclesiarchy]] (who tend to favor some of the more [[FateWorseThanDeath unusual]] [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment punishments]]) and the Inquisition. The Inquisition has executed billions of people, be they guilty or not of whatever crime they were accused of. And they also have an [[EarthShatteringKaboom extreme measure]] that they will use to purge a planet of taint when it is considered "irredeemable." (and the philosophy behind it specifically states that the billions of innocent casualties that are often included is acceptable collateral damage; after all, the Imperium will never run out of people).

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/HotFuzz''. [[spoiler:Nicholas tells Danny that their boss (and Danny's father), Frank, has declared himself this. Danny, clearly in denial, [[MoodWhiplash retorts that his father is]] ''[[MoodWhiplash not]]'' [[MoodWhiplash Judge Judy and Executioner]].

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/HotFuzz''. [[spoiler:Nicholas tells Danny that their boss (and Danny's father), Frank, has declared himself this. Danny, clearly in denial, [[MoodWhiplash retorts that his father is ''not'']] Judge Judy and Executioner]].

In modern legal systems, the power to render judgement is almost always spread among many people: a judge decides questions of law, a jury decides questions of fact, and someone else carries out the judge and jury's verdict--in the case of capital punishment, an executioner. It takes time and careful consideration, but the proper legal procedure can be such a drag sometimes, can't it? You have to arrest and house the perp, go through the expense of a trial... plus it means [[AcceptableTargets you have to get lawyers involved]].

* Medieval knights and feudal Samurai had absolute power over those living in their lands (technically you could complain to the person above them, but in practice even getting a word to that person could be impossible), and in the case of Samurai were legally entitled to kill anybody for any reason, such as showing disrespect.
** The Samurai could be this ''[[{{Seppuku}} to themselves]]'' in cases of extreme dishonor.

** Much later, the company hires a company of mercenary police to enforce the law in a boom city. The new police note that they won't be providing lawyers or judges; the rights of the citizens are much more likely to be protected when the entire legal system isn't all being paid by the same people.

* In ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' stories:

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Ever since his SufficientlyAdvancedAlien people kicked him out for being nuts the Adjudicator has been traveling the multiverse "judging" the worthiness of planets, then wiping out every single version of said planet across the multiverse in one go when it inevitably fails. The efforts of the heroes of four Earths to save their worlds from him in ''ComicBook/JudgmentInInfinity'' managed to get the attention of the rest of his people who decided he'd gone too far.

** The comic is mainly a satire of zero-tolerance policing, exemplified by the main character's CatchPhrase: [[IAmTheTrope "I am The Law!"]]. Judge Dredd and his colleagues are licensed to execute criminals on the spot, though he prefers jailing them as long as they don't resist arrest. Their power of judgment is NOT absolute, since they are still bound by legal standards such as "beyond reasonable doubt" (that is, they can't simply shoot someone whom they ''suspect'' of having committed a crime, even one as serious as murder; they still have to provide evidence)[[note]] In ''Film/{{Dredd}}'', Dredd comments that "99% sure" someone is guilty of murder is not enough, they must be 100% sure before they execute a criminal on the spot.[[/note]] and the [[InternalAffairs Special Judicial Squad]] is supposed to rein in particularly abusive authority within the Justice Department.

* "Welcome to the Family" features the line "Grandpa's the local sheriff, yeah, he's the judge and the jury too." No mention of executioner, but the next line is "Uncle Bill's the undertaker"...

* In ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', the legal system of Mahuitalotu is said to involve a "Prosexecuting Attornicator".

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOPE Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais]] (BOPE) elite police unit in [[UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}} Rio De Janeiro]] is known for such a reputation, according to the book (and later a film) ''[[Film/TheEliteSquad Tropa de Elite]]''.

--> ''I'm judge, and I'm jury, and I'm executioner too...''

* The song "Dirty Window" by Music/{{Metallica}} has the trope said word by word in one of the chorus lines, as a metaphor for figurative judgment.

* The song "Dirty Window" by Music/{{Metallica}} has the chorus line

* This exists in three different forms in ''Manga/OnePiece''. All of [=CP9=] have the unique authority to execute any civilian or pirate on the spot without trial at any time they want, unless told otherwise by the higher ups. And seeing as [[BloodKnight how all of them are]], they use this frequently with impunity. Secondly, though seemingly not legal, the higher ranking of the marines (mainly the admirals) also do this with minimal consequences; Akainu even [[BadBoss murders his own men]] on the spot for deserting and nobody blinks twice (because, after all, who wants to get in the way of a guy who shoots [[MagmaMan lava]] from his fists?). Lastly, all marines present at a Buster Call (a military order to bombard an entire island with cannon fire until nothing remains) have permission to kill anyone deemed a target of the Call or anyone who stands in the way of executing the Call without warning.

Of course, there is a very good reason we do not have this type of law enforcement in RealLife; If the Judges see themselves as noble and pure then they will most likely be [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]], if they are insane they would often see [[AllCrimesAreEqual all crimes are punishable by death]], if they become corrupt then not only would they become {{Dirty Cop}}s but would in turn become a JokerJury and a HangingJudge all in one go, and that's all assuming they do not [[ItsPersonal have a grudge against you]]. Needless to say, [[KangarooCourt you are very likely not getting a fair trial]], if they deign to even give you one at all before carrying out their sentence.

In short, would any society really be better off if the law were enforced by people with no accountability who can manipulate, torture and/or kill anyone they want regardless of reason?

In modern legal systems, the power to render judgment is usually spread among many people: a judge decides questions of law, a jury decides questions of fact, and someone else carries out the judge and jury's verdict--in the case of capital punishment, an executioner. It takes time and careful consideration, but the proper legal procedure can be such a drag sometimes, can't it? You have to arrest and house the perp, go through the expense of a trial... plus it means [[AcceptableTargets you have to get lawyers involved]].

Perhaps this is why so many societies, particularly those with {{dystopia}}n or [[TheEmpire evil]] leanings, go for the alternative: empowering a group of official agents with near-limitless (or even truly limitless) authority to detain, sentence and punish offenders.

Of course there is a very good reason we don't have this type of law enforcement in RealLife; If the Judges see themselves as noble and pure then they will most likely be [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]], if they are insane they would often see [[AllCrimesAreEqual all crimes are punishable by death]], if they become corrupt then not only would they become {{Dirty Cop}}s but would in turn become a JokerJury and a HangingJudge all in one go, and that's all assuming they don't [[ItsPersonal have a grudge against you]]. Needless to say [[KangarooCourt you are very likely not getting a fair trial]], if they deign to give you one at all before carrying out their sentence.

I am the lawyers and judge all in one! ♫]]

Of course there is a very good reason we don't have this type of law enforcement in RealLife; If the Judges see themselves as noble and pure then they will most likely be [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]], if they are insane they would often see [[AllCrimesAreEqual all crimes are punishable by death]], if they become corrupt then not only would they become {{Dirty Cop}}s but would in turn become a JokerJury and a HangingJudge all in one go, and that's all assuming they don't [[ItsPersonal have a grudge against you]]. In short, would any society really be better off if the law were enforced by people with no accountability who can torture and/or kill anyone they want regardless of reason?

Needless to say [[KangarooCourt you are very likely not getting a fair trial]], if they deign to give you one at all before carrying out their sentence.

Perhaps this is why so many societies, particularly those with {{dystopia}}n or [[TheEmpire evil]] leanings, go for the alternative: empowering a group of official agents with near-limitless authority to detain, sentence and punish offenders.

Of course there is a very good reason we don't have this type of law enforcement in civilization; If the Judges see themselves as noble and pure then they will most likely be [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]], if they are insane they would often see [[AllCrimesAreEqual all crimes are punishable by death]], if they become corrupt then not only would they become {{Dirty Cop}}s but would in turn become a JokerJury and a HangingJudge all in one go, and that's all assuming they don't [[ItsPersonal have a grudge against you]].

Needless to say [[KangarooCourt you are probably not getting a fair trial]], if they deign to give you one at all before carrying out their sentence.