The Strange Alchemy Of Life And Law

By (author) Sachs, Albie
Short description/annotation:
In this book Albie Sachs gives an intimate account of his extraordinary life and work as a judge in South Africa. Mixing autobiography with reflections on his major cases and the role of law in achieving social justice, Sachs offers a rare glimpse into the workings of the judicial mind and a unique perspective on modern South African history.
Description:
From a young age Albie Sachs played a prominent part in the struggle for justice in South Africa. As a result he was detained in solitary confinement, tortured by sleep deprivation and eventually blown up by a car bomb which cost him his right arm and the sight of an eye. His experiences provoked an outpouring of creative thought on the role of law as a protector of human dignity in the modern world, and a lifelong commitment to seeing a new era of justice established in South Africa. After playing an important part in drafting South Africa''s post-apartheid Constitution, he was appointed by Nelson Mandela to be a member of the country''s first Constitutional Court. Over the course of his fifteen year term on the Court he has grappled with the major issues confronting modern South Africa, and the challenges posed to the fledgling democracy as it sought to overcome the injustices of the apartheid regime. As his term on the Court approaches its end, Sachs here conveys in intimate fashion what it has been like to be a judge in these unique circumstances, how his extraordinary life has influenced his approach to the cases before him, and his views on the nature of justice and its achievement through law. The book provides unique access to an insider''s perspective on modern South Africa, and a rare glimpse into the working of a judicial mind. By juxtaposing life experiences and extracts from judgments, Sachs enables the reader to see the complex and surprising ways in which legal culture transforms subjective experience into objectively reasoned decisions. With rare candour he tells of the difficulties he has when preparing a judgment, of how every judgment is a lie. Rejecting purely formal notions of the judicial role he shows how both reason and passion (concern for protecting human dignity) are required for law to work in the service of justice.
Table of contents:
Preface ; Prologue ; 1. Tales of Terrorism and Torture ; 2. Tock-Tick: The Working of a Judicial Mind ; 3. A Man Called Henri: Truth, Reconciliation, and Justice ; 4. Reason and Passion ; 5. Laughing Matters ; 6. Reason and Judgment ; 7. The Judge Who Cried: The Judicial Enforcement of Socio-Economic Rights ; 8. Human Dignity and Proportionality ; 9. The Secular and the Sacred: The Dual Challenges of Same-sex Marriage ; 10. The Beginning and the End ; Epilogue and Thanks
Review quote:
It is hard to imagine a lawyer who would not be interested in reading this book, or of anyone, lawyer or not, who would not be isnpired by it.
Biographical note:
Albie Sachs is a Justice on the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
Review quote: previous edition:
`Dazzlingly honest and original mind.'' Nadine Gordimer, TLS `If I still had responsibility for the English judiciary I would encourage every judge for whom I was responsible to read this book. I am sure it would improve their understanding of what the job really involves and what justice is about.'' Lord Woolf, from the preface `The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law...is [Albie Sachs''] fascinating and honest account of how his own thinking, emotions and experiences contributed to some of the most startling, original, adventurous, far-reaching and moving decisions taken by any court in the world.'' Marcel Berlins, The Guardian `If you love justice as much as you abhor and detest injustice, you will be deeply moved by this engrossing 300 page jurisprudential memoir by Albie Sachs...this is one of the few entertaining books