Justin Lawson

Judge Justin Lawson is a recurring character featured in Season 4 of Criminal Case.

Duties
As the city judge of Concordia, Justin's main role in the game is to sentence the killers and bring justice at the end of each case in Mysteries of the Past. The sentence Justin issues depends on the severity of the crime, the mental health of the killer, the motives for the murder, and how much false testimony the killer gave out during the investigation, just to name a few.

Profile
Justin is the 34-year-old city judge (and former district attorney) of Concordia. He has short blonde hair and has a light brown suit jacket with matching top hat. He also dons a white shirt with a blue tie underneath a brown shirt.

As a judge, he dons a standard judge's robe over his usual attire: a white shirt with a blue tie underneath a brown shirt.

In the Line of Fire
After the investigation, Chief Wright informed Maddie and the player he needed their help. Specifically, Justin said he needed help regarding Father Donovan, whom the team had met previously. He said Donovan had come under scrutiny due to his dedication with the immigrant cause, so he wanted to clear his name of any suspicion. However, he did not want Donovan to know about it, this was something he was inquiring on his own.

After searching, they found that he frequented a brothel owned by Madam Xiang. According to her, he tries to help her girls find 'honest work', but they work more like servants than actual workers. When told about this, plus what was found about him in the last case, he was absolutely certain Donovan was a good man and was doing the best for his community.

In the Name of the Father
Justin came to assist the player after hearing that Oscar Trefusis was involved in the immigrant exploitation scheme spearheaded by Edward Whimple. He and the player confronted Trefusis regarding this, but he immediately sent the two out, angry at them for their seemingly baseless accusations. The two eventually found proof of Trefusis' transactions with Whimple and confronted him once again. Unable to deny the claims, Trefusis was forced by Justin to pay the fine in full and to give his maid, Audrey Scott, her documents back.

Let Her Eat Cake
After the investigation, Justin showed up to congratulate the player on their efficiency and discretion during the investigation. Justin mentioned being invited to the picnic but not being able to attend due to his duties as the district attorney. He then made it clear that he did not stand for Alastor's feeling that he was above the law and was determined to find new leads regarding his identity. Chief Wright suggested that Elisa Melody may have a lead, as Alastor's party planner, prompting Justin to talk to her. She mentioned keeping all of the instructions Alastor had sent her in her purple notebook, which she had lost. Justin then asked her if she had planned Alastor's next party, to which Elisa has replied that he didn't want here involved in more than one party. She mentioned that Alastor had complained that her paper invitations were dull and said that the next one would be printed on "something unusual." Justin then told the player to work with Maddie in searching the picnic lawn and the party tent for Elisa's notebook and the next party's invitation respectively and to report to him afterwards.

Later, Maddie and the player informed him of the location of Alastor's next party and the connection of Giulietta Capecchi to all the victims of Alastor's recent parties. Justin trusted the team to find Alastor and bring him to justice.

Behind the Mask
After the team concluded that Wentworth killed George Buchanan to protect Archie Rochester, Justin and the player interrogated him to find out if he was Mr Alastor. After he denied the accusations, they found a love letter from Alastor to Giulietta Capecchi at the billiards room. The duo then interrogated Giulietta, who said that she had tossed a gift from Alastor in a fountain. After they found the gift, which Evie used to discover Archie's identity as Alastor, the two proceeded to arrest Archie.

Later, Chief Wright announced that Archie was released because he was not directly responsible of any crime. Believing that Wright was not serving justice properly in Concordia, Justin left the airship, slamming the door in anger.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling
After arresting Norah Barnlow's killer and hearing about Judge Takakura's retirement, Justin showed up at the airship saying he wanted to take over when Takakura retires. To get himself noticed by the mayor, he decided to convince Gus Smiffel and the other workers to finish the Crystal Palace. However, Gus said there was no way they were working on it because it was deemed too unsafe. After looking around and finding a plan of the Crystal Palace, they sent it to Evie, who received help from her twin brother Nicholas. He said there was a way to make the Crystal Palace safe, and after informing Gus about it, he said he and the other laborers will start working again. Justin thanked the player for their help, hoping this would help in the mayor selecting a successor to Judge Takakura.

Out of Steam
After arresting Orville West's killer, Maddie and the player were informed by Walter Cumberbatch that Justin had been through a bad time in his life. Wondering what that was, Maddie and the player decided to investigate. They found his wallet, which contained an obituary belonging to one Abigail Baines. According to Evie, Abigail was Justin's fiancee, who was killed by muggers while shopping for a wedding dress. They returned it to Justin, who explained he was mad since the muggers not only killed his fiancee, but got off with a light sentence too. It was that reason he became a district attorney, to see that justice is served, and Maddie was glad he was on their side.

Electrical Hazard
Justin assisted the player in helping expose the Exhibition's saboteur after Susie Nottingham's arrest, in order to gain the Mayor's favor for city judge. The two found Celine Georges' journal in the Brass Compass café, containing notes about the saboteur. Upon interrogation, Celine said that she believed the saboteur was sabotaging inventions so that a certain invention would win first prize, which turned out to be Stanley Spark's Fantastical Suit, according to her notes. Stanley, however, denied the accusation.

The Higher You Rise
Justin swore in as the new city judge after Takakura finally retired. Maddie and the player witnessed Justin's assumption as he swore before Mayor Castletown that he would uphold the law and bring justice to everyone in Concordia. He then thanked the mayor and the player for their help.

Trivia

 * Justin is the first judge to appear in the season prior to taking the position as a judge.