[1][2] Consul for the first time in BC 447, Julius and his colleague, Marcus Geganius Macerinus, inherited a state still rife with tension between the aristocratic party in the senate, and the people, whose chief defenders were the tribunes of the plebs.
The consuls were directed to recruit soldiers to fight the Aequi and the Volsci, an action that was certain to inflame the populace; but as no threat appeared imminent, they suspended the order, reasoning that unrest in the city would only encourage Rome's enemies.
Despite their measures to keep the peace, the consuls were unable to prevent the more extreme elements of the aristocratic faction from banding together to harass and intimidate the tribunes, until in fear of their very lives they became utterly ineffectual.
Julius took what soldiers he could and manned the city walls, while his colleague, Proculus Verginius Tricostus, convened the senate in the temple of Quirinus, and then nominated Quintus Servilius Priscus as dictator.
The only other event of note was the holding of a census in the Campus Martius for the first time; one of the censors was Marcus Geganius Macerinus, who had been consul with Julius twelve years earlier.