Guiding Questions

• Do legal trials reveal objective truth?

• What role do evidence, procedure, and persuasion play in the search for justice?

• Can a verdict be both legal and wrong?

The Courtroom Ideal

We are taught to believe that courts are places where truth prevails and justice is served. In theory, courts are governed by rules meant to ensure fairness:

• Evidence must be tested through cross-examination

• Accused persons are presumed innocent

• Judges and juries are neutral

• The law applies equally to all

But in practice, things are far more complex.

The Performance of Justice

A trial can resemble a carefully staged performance:

• Lawyers craft emotional narratives

• Juries are swayed by charisma or fear

• Judges interpret laws with personal bias

• Wealth buys better legal representation

The courtroom is not a laboratory. It’s a battleground — where winning often matters more than truth.

Philosophical Perspectives

Plato

In Gorgias, Plato criticized rhetoric as a tool of persuasion rather than truth, warning that courts may reward the clever, not the just.

Aristotle

Saw legal reasoning as a form of rhetorical logic — a mix of logos (logic), ethos (credibility), and pathos (emotion).

Jacques Derrida

Questioned whether justice can ever be fully present in legal systems, since laws are written by humans within historical limits.

Hannah Arendt

In her analysis of the Eichmann trial, she noted how legal processes often fail to capture the true meaning of evil.

A Thought Experiment

Imagine two trials:

• In one, a guilty person is acquitted because of a skilled lawyer.

• In the other, an innocent person is convicted due to misleading evidence.

Both followed the proper procedures.

Were they just?

Is legality the same as justice?

Two Perspectives

Legal Formalism

The rules and procedures of the court ensure justice. If everyone plays by the same rules, the system is fair.

Legal Realism

The law is shaped by social power. Who you are — and what you can afford — often determines the outcome.

What Justice in Court Requires

• Access to legal representation for all

• Transparent procedures that prevent bias

• Judicial independence from political and economic influence

• Public oversight through media and watchdogs

• Civic education so all citizens understand their rights

• Room for appeals and reform, when errors are made

Reflect and Discuss

• Have you ever seen a court decision that felt legal but unjust?

• Should trials focus on discovering truth — or following rules?

• Can true justice exist without full access to the legal system?

Suggested Readings

• Plato – Gorgias

• Hannah Arendt – Eichmann in Jerusalem

• Bryan Stevenson – Just Mercy

• U.S. Supreme Court – Gideon v. Wainwright (right to counsel)

• Critical Legal Studies Movement – selected essays

In court, justice wears robes — but often hides behind the rules.”

— Tiger Lyon