Spirit of Justice
Encyclopedia
Spirit of Justice is a cast aluminum statue
depicting Lady Justice
that stands on display along with its male counterpart Majesty of Law in the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building
building in Washington, D.C.
, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice. The statue is of a woman wearing a toga
-like dress with one breast
revealed and arms raised and measures 12.5 feet (150 inches).
The statue was commissioned
in 1933 at a cost of $7275, and was created by C. Paul Jennewein
, who created a total of 57 sculptural elements for the building.
Like most of the artwork
and fixtures in the building, it is in an Art Deco
style. Unlike many representations of Lady Justice, Spirit of Justice wears no blindfold
to symbolize blind justice. The male statue, Majesty of Law, is bare-chested above the waist.
The entrance to the Rayburn House Office Building
also features a sculpture entitled The Majesty of the Law.
wrote a humorous song entitled "John Ashcroft and The Spirit of Justice", inspired by the Attorney General's alleged covering of the statue, in 2002.
Comedian David Cross
mentions the Attorney General's covering of the statue in his bit on one of his CDs.
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
depicting Lady Justice
Lady Justice
Lady Justice |Dike]]) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.-Depiction:The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later...
that stands on display along with its male counterpart Majesty of Law in the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building
Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building
Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building is the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the United States Department of Justice.The building is located at 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, on a trapezoidal lot on the block bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue to the north, Constitution Avenue to the south,...
building in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice. The statue is of a woman wearing a toga
Toga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
-like dress with one breast
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
revealed and arms raised and measures 12.5 feet (150 inches).
The statue was commissioned
Commission (art)
In art, a commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another.In classical music, ensembles often commission pieces from composers, where the ensemble secures the composer's payment from private or public organizations or donors.- Commissions for public art...
in 1933 at a cost of $7275, and was created by C. Paul Jennewein
C. Paul Jennewein
Carl Paul Jennewein was a German-born American sculptor.-Early career:Jennewein was born in Stuttgart in Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1907....
, who created a total of 57 sculptural elements for the building.
Like most of the artwork
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
and fixtures in the building, it is in an Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style. Unlike many representations of Lady Justice, Spirit of Justice wears no blindfold
Blindfold
A blindfold is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. It can be worn when the eyes are in a closed state and thus prevents the wearer from opening them...
to symbolize blind justice. The male statue, Majesty of Law, is bare-chested above the waist.
The entrance to the Rayburn House Office Building
Rayburn House Office Building
The Rayburn House Office Building is a congressional office building for the U.S. House of Representatives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., between South Capitol Street and First Street....
also features a sculpture entitled The Majesty of the Law.
Spirit of Justice and the Attorneys General
- In 1986, during a news photographing, she (Statue) was seen behind then-attorney general Edwin Meese IIIEdwin MeeseEdwin "Ed" Meese, III is an attorney, law professor, and author who served in official capacities within the Ronald Reagan Gubernatorial Administration , the Reagan Presidential Transition Team , and the Reagan White House , eventually rising to hold the position of the 75th Attorney General of...
as he discussed a report on pornography.
- In 2002, under John AshcroftJohn AshcroftJohn David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S...
, curtains were installed blocking the statue from view during speeches. The curtains were first used on a rental basis during the administration of Richard ThornburghDick ThornburghRichard Lewis "Dick" Thornburgh is an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as the 41st Governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the U.S...
. Justice officials long insisted that the curtains were put up to improve the room's use as a television backdrop and that Ashcroft had nothing to do with it. Ashcroft's successor, Alberto GonzalesAlberto GonzalesAlberto R. Gonzales was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Attorney General in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Hispanic government official ever...
, removed the curtains in June 2005.
- On May 7, 2007, National Journal's "Inside Washington" column reported that it was Monica GoodlingMonica GoodlingMonica Marie Goodling is a former United States government lawyer and political appointee in the George W. Bush administration who became known in 2007 in the midst of a political controversy surrounding the firings of several United States Attorneys...
who ordered drapes to be placed over the partially nude Spirit of Justice statues during Ashcroft's tenure as Attorney General. At the time, the department spent $8,000 on blue drapes to hide the two aluminum statues, according to spokesman Shane Hix.
Popular culture
American singer-songwriter Tom PaxtonTom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
wrote a humorous song entitled "John Ashcroft and The Spirit of Justice", inspired by the Attorney General's alleged covering of the statue, in 2002.
Comedian David Cross
David Cross
David Cross is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his work on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr...
mentions the Attorney General's covering of the statue in his bit on one of his CDs.