Killing a judge or justice, active or retired, to interfere with official duties is a Special Circumstance.

Killing a judge or justice, active or retired, to interfere with official duties is a Special Circumstance.

• A. For hire
• B. Murder of a law-enforcement officer to interfere with duties
• C. Killing a pregnant woman during an act with intent to kill the fetus
• D. Murder of a judge or justice to interfere with official duties

Answer: (D)

Special circumstances are triggered when a homicide is aimed at disrupting the functioning of government or the administration of justice. Killing a judge or justice to interfere with official duties fits this idea directly because it targets the person who oversees and decides legal matters, with the explicit intent to impede the judicial process. The judge can be active or retired, but either way, attacking them to influence outcomes or undermine official duties is the type of interference these provisions are designed to deter. The other scenarios involve different targets or motives (murder-for-hire; killing a law-enforcement officer to interfere with duties; terminating a pregnancy-related act) and do not specify interfering with the judiciary, so they do not meet this particular special-circumstance wording.

Special circumstances are triggered when a homicide is aimed at disrupting the functioning of government or the administration of justice. Killing a judge or justice to interfere with official duties fits this idea directly because it targets the person who oversees and decides legal matters, with the explicit intent to impede the judicial process. The judge can be active or retired, but either way, attacking them to influence outcomes or undermine official duties is the type of interference these provisions are designed to deter. The other scenarios involve different targets or motives (murder-for-hire; killing a law-enforcement officer to interfere with duties; terminating a pregnancy-related act) and do not specify interfering with the judiciary, so they do not meet this particular special-circumstance wording.