The recent appointment of former U.S. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States has been met with a variety of mixed emotions ranging from optimism to intense trepidation. Following in the wake of what many would consider to be the most contentious judicial confirmation process in U.S. history, citizens and persons from around the world are exhibiting varying sentiments regarding the future of our country and its political branches. Despite the stark contrasts in positions and emotional reactions, citizens on both sides of the political aisle have been commonly presented with a solemn warning—that the excessive interposition of political partisanship into the judicial system, both within its walls and outside them, will inevitably lead to the deterioration of the integrity of the American legal profession and the institutions upon which it is based.
In such times, I feel it is important to be reminded of the Roman goddess Lustitia, more commonly known as Lady Justice, the allegorical personification of morality in the judicial system, who since the 16th century has been depicted wearing a blindfold representing impartiality, the aspiration that justice should be applied evenhandedly to all.
