Accessibility Tools

  • Content scaling 100%
  • Font size 100%
  • Line height 100%
  • Letter spacing 100%

A game of Jenga

Politicising the judiciary
by
December 2020, no. 427

Fake Law: The truth about justice in an age of lies by The Secret Barrister

Picador, $34.99 pb, 386 pp

A game of Jenga

Politicising the judiciary
by
December 2020, no. 427

The timing was apt. In September, Fake Law: The truth about justice in an age of lies – written by pseudonymous British writer ‘The Secret Barrister’ – was published in Australia. The same month, President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States following the untimely death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. From two legal systems that have historically influenced ours came salutary warnings about the ill effects of law’s politicisation.

During the public rancour over Trump’s nomination, a common refrain on Australian Legal Twitter (#auslaw) was how fortunate we are to have an apolitical judiciary. Certainly, the High Court of Australia rarely divides on ideological lines, even in the most politically controversial cases. Some notable former exceptions aside, the political persuasion of our justices is hardly a matter of public knowledge or debate. Historically, Australian judges have cleaved neither left nor right but between centrists (favouring the federal government) and federalists (favouring the states).

Kieran Pender reviews 'Fake Law: The truth about justice in an age of lies' by The Secret Barrister

Fake Law: The truth about justice in an age of lies

by The Secret Barrister

Picador, $34.99 pb, 386 pp

From the New Issue

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.

If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.

Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.