Juan Moisés De La Serna - Judge's Dreams I

When all had said their greetings and introduced themselves, the King sent the Minister of Justice to speak. He explained that he wanted to know how justice was served among the people, and that, to assess the competences of the judges, he had arranged for judgments to be passed before the King, who would listen but not intervene.

He said they did not want justice to be based on opinion but, instead, on the right thing to do. He also established who had to serve as the Accuser – or the Prosecutor – and who had to serve as the Defense. As well as who had to act as prosecution witnesses, and those of the defense alike. And, the last of all, he appointed the Chief Judge, who was none other than the dreaming judge.

The man, who struggled to shake off his amazement, who never liked being held important, and who, at this very moment, was sitting in the very last of all the chairs – the place considered the most remote and the least relevant – upon hearing his name called for the position, got up, and tried to excuse himself:

”I thank you for the position, but having those superiors to me here, and considering that I am the least of all those present, I think you have made a mistake in the appointment,” the judge continued speaking slowly and in a voice for everyone to hear. The room was large. ”Tell me, how are they, who are more, are now to be less, are to submit to my judgment? Is my word going to have any weight? Especially with the grand charges to be defended or prosecuted, and they are well prepared, while I hardly have what it takes to conduct justice in the souk. Which, as you know, are simple matters and do not require significant preparation.”

He put his arguments forward and, just as the minister, who was in agreement with his explanation, was going to change things around, the King, who seemed to be the only one that was clearly determined to make it happen, intervened and said:

”Let us see how you do it, now that you are not in the souk, and how others handle being at your command rather than being those giving orders. Let the tribunal begin!”

Once this was settled, more chairs and tables were brought, and the tribunal was formed. Also, as the King wanted to keep a record – because he sensed that something important could come out of this – a court typist was called to put down on wax tablets what judgment will be passed, so that it can be either archived or applied, according to its value.

The judge – now that he was of such importance – asked for the subject matter that he will be required to rule on. He was advised on it and, rising to the power that the King himself awarded him, he ordered for the debate to be opened. But, as no one had the King's intentions communicated to them in advance, he arranged that they all have time until after lunch to think, to put their arguments together, and to prepare the witnesses.

All seemed happy with it, except for the King. He appeared to be in a hurry, as he said so himself.

The judge, acting as Judge, replied:

”See, my Lord, we can do as you wish, but if you want justice, this has to be well thought out as well as well-defended, and if someone, because they did not have the time they needed, does not do it well, then they will say that the King wanted it that way, that he did not want justice but speed instead.”

The King understood and said:

”You are the Judge, you have the power. It will be done as you say.”

The judge – the real one, the one who was sleeping in his bedroom at home – continued sleeping, while his spirit – the one that saw and heard everything and was still amazed at seeing himself in this surreal situation – was listening to all the commentary. He got closer to some of the important judges, without them noticing.

In fact, they were the most important among the judges, as well as considered to be significant men outside of courts too. Approaching, he listened to them murmuring that they would settle the score with the judge later, once they all left this place, while others said:

”We will let him do it, and, when time is right, we will set a trap for him in front of the King.“ They were all intelligent and enjoyed the support of the Minister of Justice, who clearly showed that he was not satisfied with the arrangement or with the roles assigned.

The judge – the one who had been given the position of the Judge by the minister following the orders of the King – saw himself sitting alone on one side of the room and, when one of the other judges approached him, he heard himself say:

”Until the tribunal is over, I have nothing to comment. Your comments could also undermine the tribunal, knowing one side but not the other.”

The chosen subject was THE ELDERLY. The hearing started once they had organized themselves. The Principal judge with the most authority began to speak. Since he was the one with the most authority, everyone was listening to him, and it was for everyone to see that he was trying to show off. But things that he was saying were nothing new. He had been told to present the case, and that is what he was doing. Without much detail, just to play his along.

Then the next one spoke, also Principal judge, second in authority, and everyone was listening to him. He made his presentations as an accuser – or the Prosecutor – and he himself realized, while on show, that he just wanted to get it over with and get out of there as soon as possible. He felt uncomfortable and considered this whole thing to be a King’s whim.

Then came the third, the one who was appointed to serve as a Defender. Since the accusation had been put forward so badly, he did even worse, as he did not feel he could show up his superiors. And, although in the end, he tried to summarize and clarify what was said, it was apparent to everyone that he wanted to do the previous speaker a favor.

The prosecution witnesses and those of the defense continued, and so until the end. When everyone seemed to have finished, and the Judge’s verdict was supposed to be passed – undoubtedly, it would be favorable to the principal of the highest authority, which everyone, including the King, expected, as it all seemed straight-forward – they found the Judge speaking the following:

”Let me go and say a prayer before you hear my Judgment,” and he retired.

When he returned, his face indicated concern. And so, on his feet, he asked the King for permission to speak. The King granted it, and the judge said:

”Well, all of you now have had a chance to shine before the King, but if he wants justice, we will have to do things differently from how they have been done so far. Otherwise, we will continue to repeat the same mistakes that we have been making until now.”

The principals took those words as an insult, and, rising from their seats, they started laying into the judge. But then, in turn, the King had begun to rise, calling them back loudly. And so they all fell silent again, and listened to him say:

”I am glad the Judge was the one to put you all in your place because, if he had not done it, I would have done so myself. The things I have seen are of no use to me, and I want things new and different. So stop worrying about looking good. To me, you are the Principals, and you do not stand to lose anything. So let the Judge do his job. Let's listen to what he has to tell us. Considering the length of time he spent preparing the speech, he must have more to say to us than he has so far.” And he sat down.

With those words from the King, the judge felt his authority reinforced and began by organizing the work. He announced whom he wanted to hear first from and – as he had done before – said:

”I hope that you are better in your courts because today, you lacked quality. Prepare your work well for tomorrow.” He did the same with all the others, surprising even the King who, on the one hand, at the beginning saw this to be a game, but, on the other hand, he liked the tone and the approach of him whom he appointed as a Judge. They all left discontented.