High Court justices?

[SadOccasion]

Were TMWABBNH and TWWHBNB really High Court justices, or were they simply posing as them and knew they wouldn't get caught, because of the ridiculous blindfolds?

On one hand, I can see them actually being High court justices goign with Lemony's theme for the book, in terms if the wicked ways of the world and how no oen can really be trusted, noble or ignoble.

But on the other hand, how would the two have time to be in such a high position and od hteir dutis when they are so busy commiting heinous crimes?

Discuss.

[Dante]

According to Olaf, they've been the other judges all along, and have been passing on Justice Strauss's information on the Baudelaires to him - see the following quotation:

"It can't be!" Justice Strauss gasped. "I've known them for years! I've told them everything that was happening to you children, and they were always very interested!"
"Of course they were interested, you fool," Count Olaf said. "They passed along all that information to me, so I could catch up with the orphans! You've been helping me all along without even knowing it! Ha!"
TPP - p305.

There's no implication that they could have merely been posing as the remaining judges of the High Court, and if they had, since the judges don't wear blindfolds, Justice Strauss would have recognised that they weren't the real judges from the very start of the trial, but instead she behaves entirely normally until Olaf sticks tape over her mouth. It makes sense for them to have that position, or for villains to aim to take that position, anyway; if any of their associates are put on trial, the sinister duo have a two-against-one majority and can acquit their comrades (assuming that their High Court works this way).

As for how they had time to be judges of the High Court and terrible criminals, then in response, I ask: How does Justice Strauss have the time to be a judge of the High Court and go gallivanting off following the Baudelaires for ten books? Conceivably, not many cases are referred to the High Court. The sinister duo said, in TSS, that they'd been "wearing these fireproof suits for almost a month" (p128), which could easily have been since before TEE or TAA, and Justice Strauss said she'd been searching for the Baudelaires since she heard what happened to Uncle Montgomery (TPP p192), so presumably the High Court has had plenty of free time.

[SadOccasion]

Thanks for c;arifying.

So, as for Olaf's quote, does this mean TMWABBNH and TWWHBNB could have had equal amount of aprticipation (or more) than Madame Lulu in Olaf's search for the Baudelaires? Have THEY been revealing the children's locations?

[Dante]

"As soon as you were taken away in [Mr. Poe's] automobile, I knew I had done the wrong thing, and when I heard the dreadful news about Dr. Montgomery I began searching for you. Eventually I found other people who were also trying to battle the wicked villains of this world, but I always hoped I would find you myself, if only to say how sorry I was."
...
"Justice Strauss has reported the details of your case to the other judges on the High Court."
TPP - p192-193

Sounds like Justice Strauss would have come to meet the Baudelaires directly if she'd learnt of their location while they were still there or even before they'd arrived. I think that she's meant to be one step behind the Baudelaires - well, one step behind Olaf or, for example, Jacques Snicket - so I don't believe she can have been responsible for helping Olaf in the same way Olivia did, despite that being the implication here. It seems she must have been arriving at the scene rather too late, much like Lemony or other volunteers, so I should imagine she's simply been reporting pretty much the same sort of stuff Lemony would have come up with - details of the Baudelaires meetings with people, what they'd learnt, invented, researched, bitten, etc. This would allow Olaf to keep aware of how the Baudelaires' skills or knowledge were improving as they continued on their journey, so that he'd have a better idea of what he was up against for his next schemes - so he could "catch up," as it were.

Or Handler could just have written it vaguely to convey the message he wanted, i.e. that Justice Strauss has been following the Baudelaires and mistakenly helping Olaf (quite a twist on the old theory that Poe's working for him, actually), and we're not meant to think about it much. Take your pick. I know I've applied the gist of the latter to other things in the series, and it really doesn't work badly.

[vfds321s]

Disguise is used loosely in the Snicket-verse. It can be seen as an identity of a volunteer used in public whether or not their day job is genuine, as is the case of the Dutchess of Winnipeg.

Them being real judges might be a hint to what their motives are. Outside of a desire for chaos and destruction, they might have a twisted sense of justice that made them corrupt.

That said, Olaf is not really a reliable source, so I have no problem with him making a contradictory statement saying that the sinister duo and not Lulu were the reason he knows every location the Baudelaires went to when it is clear that Madame Lulu is.

[Foxy]

Sept 4, 2019 23:11:07 GMT -5 vfds321s said:

That said, Olaf is not really a reliable source, so I have no problem with him making a contradictory statement saying that the sinister duo and not Olaf were the reason he knows every location the Baudelaires went to when it is clear that Madame Lulu is.

Maybe it could have been both?  Aren't there books where is is not plausible Olaf would have had time to go visit Madame Lulu?

I wonder who appointed them to be judges of the high court. Who is the leader of the country where the Baudelaires live, who would appoint such terrible people to positions so important?  We'll never know.  I wonder if Daniel Handler just thinks everyone and everything is corrupt in our world, and he tried to infuse that into his series.

[vfds321s]

Sept 5, 2019 11:56:03 GMT -5 Foxy said:

Sept 4, 2019 23:11:07 GMT -5 vfds321s said:

I wonder who appointed them to be judges of the high court. Who is the leader of the country where the Baudelaires live, who would appoint such terrible people to positions so important?  We'll never know.  I wonder if Daniel Handler just thinks everyone and everything is corrupt in our world, and he tried to infuse that into his series.

Do you really think that the sinister duo won't lie to whoever appointed them about their intentions?

[Optimism is my Phil-osophy]

I think there is no central government in ASOUE ... The politics there is very complicated to understand. There are kings in some states. Is each state a different kingdom? Do kings have to obey a constitution? I think so ... Are there zones that have their own laws, like the city of VFD? Is there democracy on any level? There are laws, it's true ... But who created them? Was it a democratically chosen constituent assembly? In the city of VFD I think it is clear that there is a form of government where the older ones rule.

[Foxy]

Sept 5, 2019 14:00:40 GMT -5 vfds321s said:

Sept 5, 2019 11:56:03 GMT -5 Foxy said:

I wonder who appointed them to be judges of the high court. Who is the leader of the country where the Baudelaires live, who would appoint such terrible people to positions so important?  We'll never know.  I wonder if Daniel Handler just thinks everyone and everything is corrupt in our world, and he tried to infuse that into his series.

Do you really think that the sinister duo won't lie to whoever appointed them about their intentions?

I'm sure they would, I'm just surprised they could get away with it.  The vetting process seems pretty thorough to me.  All everybody's little secrets get dug up.

[vfds321s]

They would get away with it by making sure their crimes are covered up. And who's to say they didn't become judges BEFORE becoming criminals?

[Foxy]

Hmmm... they would probably have had to have been judges for a long time, then, because it sounds like they have been evil for a long time.