Book Review: Justice For All?
Vanderbilt Law Review En Banc, Vol. 65, p. 217, 2012
14 Pages Posted: 19 Dec 2012 Last revised: 5 Feb 2013
Date Written: December 19, 2012
Abstract
In Representing Justice: Invention, Controversy, and Rights in City-States and Democratic Courtrooms by Judith Resnik and Dennis Curtis, art takes center stage as Resnik and Curtis focus on the visual renderings of the law, rather than on the words that make up the law, to analyze the pursuit and practice of justice over time. This Book Review examines in particular the iconic depiction of Justice and the controversial meanings her image has elicited, largely prompted by the presence or absence of her blindfold as well as by her physical form. Although Justice’s role is to resolve disputes under the law, the message that her visual presentation conveys about the task of judging and who participates in it has generated much disagreement. In light of the larger questions raised about the goals of justice, this Book Review demonstrates that Justice as typically portrayed may not signify Justice for all.
Keywords: justice, lady justice, blindfold, judging, jurisprudence, equality, art history and the law
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