Spirit of Justice explained

Spirit of Justice
Type:	sculpture
Artist:	C. Paul Jennewein
Height Imperial:	150
City:	Washington, D.C.
Owner:	United States Department of Justice

Spirit of Justice is a 1933 cast aluminum statue depicting Lady Justice that stands on display along with its male counterpart Majesty of Justice in the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice 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 12.5abbr=offNaNabbr=off.

History

The statue was commissioned in 1933 at a cost of $7,275, 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, which is often utilized to symbolize blind justice.

The male statue, Majesty of Justice, is bare-chested.^[1]

The entrance to the Rayburn House Office Building also features a sculpture entitled The Majesty of the Law.

Spirit of Justice and the Attorneys General

• In 1986, the statue was seen behind then–Attorney General Edwin Meese III as he discussed a report on pornography.^[2]
• In 2002, under John Ashcroft, curtains were installed blocking the statue from view during speeches. The curtains were first used on a rental basis during the administration of Dick Thornburgh.^[3] 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 Gonzales, removed the curtains in June 2005.^[4]
• On May 7, 2007, National Journals "Inside Washington" column reported that it was Monica Goodling who ordered drapes to be placed over the partially nude Spirit of Justice statue 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.^[5]

Popular culture

American singer-songwriter Tom Paxton 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.^{[6] [7]}

See also

• List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6

External links

• "Curtains up on risque US statues", BBC News
• "Sculpted Bodies and a Strip Act at Justice Dept", The Washington Post
• News: BRIEFING; Meese and the 'Spirit'. Wayne King . Warren Weaver Jr. . . July 11, 1986.
• News: Justice Department covers partially nude statues . . January 29, 2002.

Notes and References

1. News: Sculpted Bodies And a Strip Act At Justice Dept.. Dan Eggen. The Washington Post. June 25, 2005 .
2. Web site: Royalty Free Stock Photos, Illustrations, Vector Art, and Video Clips - Getty Images.
3. News: Drapes removed from Justice Department statue . USA Today . June 24, 2005.
4. News: 'Spirit of Justice' statue exposed in all her glory . Mark Sherman . The Associated Press . June 25, 2005.
5. News: Curtains for semi-nude justice statue . BBC News . January 29, 2002.
6. Web site: Tom Paxton . 2007-06-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070703054937/http://tompaxton.com/download.html . 2007-07-03 .
7. Web site: Tom Paxton - Short Shelf-life Songs . 2007-12-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070728203653/http://www.tompaxton.com/lyric_ashcroft.html . 2007-07-28 . Lyrics