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The Cases of Judgment Day

King Benjamin Silas sits as the supreme arbiter of Justice in Gilboa, the final legal authority after cases civil and criminal have wound their way through Gilboa's lower and appellate courts. On Judgment Day, by tradition, the King hears the cases deemed most worthy by a council of the King's ministers. Only ten cases are heard; they're selected from thousands of submitted grievances, disputes, and proposals. This year's cases:

1. Watson vs. Colfair - Farmers on adjacent properties, Mr. Watson is suing Mr. Colfair for illegally propagating the services of Mr. Watson's stud hog. He seeks damages and the rights to any offspring born of his hog by Mr. Colfair's sow.

2. Milton vs. the City of Arcadia - Mrs. Milton, a high school music teacher, is suing the city for the loss of the school orchestra's spot in a national competition--one that, if won, would garner thousands of laurels to the school's music program. Mrs. Milton claims the city of Arcadia lost her submission form when she sought their stamp of approval. She is seeking unspecified damages.

3. The Congregation of the Silent Prayer vs. Reverend Ephram Samuels - The Congregation alleges that Reverend Samuels wildly mismanaged the group's funds through speculating on the Shiloh Stock Exchange. They seek damages and his removal as the Congregation's spiritual leader. This case should prove interesting, given Reverend Samuels' previous post as religious advisor to the King, and the recent distance in that relationship.

4. Margolis vs. Hopewell - A property dispute. Mr. Margolis alleges that Ms. Hopewell's acquisition of the 1963 painting by the renowned Cristo Wellington "The Smile of Pins," was illegally purchased on the black market. Mr. Margolis reported the theft of said painting five years ago. Ms. Hopewell denies any such activities, saying she acquired the painting legally through a broker, and further alleges that the painting that was stolen from Mr. Margolis five years ago was a fake.

5. Seven Sisters Brothel vs. Mead - The Seven Sisters Brothel is suing Mr. Mead, the brothel's silent financial backer, for union-busting activities. The employees of the brothel allege that when they began exploratory discussions with the Oldest Profession Union, Mr. Mead targeted and terminated the most vocal employees, and subsequently hired international talent at cheaper rates. The Seven Sisters Brothel is located in Ekron, where prostitution was has been legal for the past decade.

6. Pyrus Publishing vs. Alexander - Pyrus Publishing alleges that Mr. Alexander plagiarized several of their best selling cookbooks, compiling them into his own volume, which he intends to have published. Complicating the issue is the fact that Mr. Alexander worked for Pyrus for a number of years, and alleges that all the recipes in his book are originally his, and he was unpaid by Pyrus for their creation.

7. Cain vs. Cain - Mrs. Cain is suing Mr. Cain for divorce, alimony, and damages. She alleges he broke the marriage contract by repeatedly seeking the services of a paid escort. He has countersued with allegations that Mrs. Cain was acting as a paid escort without his knowledge. The King will weigh in on both cases as one.

8. Shenandoah vs. Agate Music - Ms. Shenandoah is suing Agate Music, the parent company of her local radio station, for emotional distress caused by her ten year old son's addiction to the popular morning radio show "Slappy Josh and James." She alleges that the show has taught her son obscenities and morally bankrupt behavior.

9. Henry Bigby vs. The Shiloh Taxi and Limousine Commission - Mr. Bigby, a Gath foreign national, is suing the STLC for discrimination, stating that the termination of his employment was a direct result of disclosure of his nationality.

10. The township of Selah vs. Nayar - The township of Selah, the seat of the rural territory of Selah, has charged Dr. Nayar with vehicular manslaughter, from a ten-year-old unresolved case. Dr. Nayar has turned himself in to the authorities, but hundreds of the town's citizens have petitioned for his release, stating that his decade of service as a pediatric oncologist has atoned for his sins. This is the most controversial case on the docket, having been played out in the press ever since Dr. Nayar turned himself in over a month ago.