Why Lawyers Derail Justice: Probing the Roots of Legal Injustices

Author: Dr. John C. Anderson
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
Category: Political Science & Theory, Constitution: Government & The State, Political Structures: Democracy, Political Control & Freedoms, Jurisprudence, Legal Ethics & Professional Conduct
Book Format: Paperback

The rule of law has become a shibboleth of American democracy, but the emphasis on procedural and abstract rather than substantive justice that is embedded both in the workings of our judicial system and in the writings of our leading philosophers of law, John Anderson argues, had led to much real injustice. This book draws inspiration from Aristotle's notion of natural justice found in communities based on ties of friendship to point the way toward a more humane practice of law.



Starting with concrete examples of injustice produced in our legal system, the author examines the distorting effects of legal argumentation and strategy on affirmative action, overzealous prosecutions, abusive enforcement of the tax code, sexual harassment litigation, and many other issues troubling our society. The jurisprudence of Ronald Dworkin, with his notion of a community of principle, is identified as best articulating the justification for our current system and is subjected to a thorough critique from an Aristotelian perspective. Kant's kingdom of ends is located at the root of rights-based notions of justice and is also argued to be inadequate because it lacks the flexibility allowed by the classical understanding of epieikeia (equity).



What issues from this investigation of the faults of our present legal regime is a set of proposals for reform that include abolition of the legal profession and term limits for judges as well as politicians.



John C. Anderson holds a law degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, and practiced law for five years in Washington, D.C. An independent scholar, he now works for the Army.

About John C. Anderson
John C. Anderson holds a law degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, and practiced law for five years in Washington, D. C. An independent scholar, he now works for the Army.

(BK-9780271025148)

SKU BK-9780271025148
Barcode # 9780271025148
Brand Pennsylvania State University Press
Artist / Author Dr. John C. Anderson
Shipping Weight 0.4000kg
Shipping Width 0.152m
Shipping Height 0.015m
Shipping Length 0.229m
Assembled Length 22.900m
Assembled Height 1.500m
Assembled Width 15.200m
Type Paperback

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