Overview[]
The Blackstone-Devi Temple of Law, also known as the JUDCON Central Courthouse, was the "mothership" JUDCON courthouse between 2122 and 2156. It was built in Eastern London, known as the Heritage Quarter or Old Town, and named after William Blackstone--famous British eighteenth-century jurist--and the Honorable Judge Sasha Devi, one of the mothers of modern JUDCON jurisprudence.
In 2156, during the Crimson Tide war crimes tribunals and massive civil unrest, the palingenetic ultranationalist faction HALE bombed the courthouse and killed several members of its staff, including the chief judge leading the tribunal. Plans to rebuild the courthouse extend into 2158, and the "mothership" of JUDCON has moved to the second-largest courthouse in the Seoul-Pyongyang Metropolitan Area, near Indoc 2 Sat-Seoul.
History[]
The Blackstone-Devi Temple of Law was a Neo Palladian style building modeled after the New York State Supreme Court Building, which was destroyed in nuclear war during the twenty-first century and the larger destruction of New York City. The steps particularly, giving a vista of East London, were an homage to the building. It is separate from the Old Bailey, which became the Old Bailey Museum of Legal History in the 2120s. The Temple of Law was designed to accommodate the modern needs of JUDCON, legal surveillance, and the display of advanced forensic information to juries.
Controversy[]
During the Crimson Tide war crimes tribunals, the courthouse became a focal point of protests and counter-protest, constantly inundated by dissent, both peaceful and otherwise. Authorities cracked down several times, worrying about interruptions to the orderly pursuit of justice and the appearance that World Parliament could not get control over the situation, but peacekeeping forces proved unequal to Homeworlder and HALE militia contingents, resulting in the summoning of the Army of Earth. The situation devolved into a standoff, with ecological protestors clearing out to avoid state-sanctioned and militia-backed violence on either end. In the chaos, a suicide bomber from the far-right fringes of HALE gained access to the building and detonated, resulting in the collapse of part of the building. Evacuations commenced, but several judges and court personnel were killed.