Lecture 10: Delivery of Justice

1. Peaceful ways to resolve differences, dealing differences -> Justice.

2. Two movies about lawyers: traditional Chinese’s view, justice comes from
supernatural power outside of human society; The Attorney, Korean (Western view
of justice), delivery of justice needs human action.
3. Non-human primates also have sense of fairness.
4. Equality (sameness, giving everyone the same thing) vs Equity (fairness, give
everyone access to the same opportunities)
5.

6. A meritocratic society would blame people living in unconditional housings while

they weren’t offered another choice.
7. The trolley problem. Classic question about justice, involved to automatic car crash
algorithm. 賀建奎事件 -> What happens if other people take the cost of your
choice?
8. Code of Hammurabi. Ancient Egypt
9. Ten Commandments: A god imposed the laws to people, an easy source of
legitimacy.
10.
11.

12. Magna Carta 1215 大憲章: Aims to restrict power of the king. Have a supernatural
basis of legitimacy.
13. Thomas Hobbs, and his book The Leviathan (1651). Evil human nature (“war of all
against all” in the natural condition of human) and need a strong state to provide
security and maintain order in human society.
14. John Locke, Two treaties of government (1690). Governments gain its power through
a social contract between the government and the people. Overthrowing a tyrant is
legitimate.
15. Jeremy Bentham. “Greatest Happiness Principle”

16. Justice System (Legal System): resolve disputes between people/ people and
government. Provide delivery of justice.

17. Star Chamber: Privilege against self-incrimination. People in traditional Chinese

courts might be forced to self-incrimination. Legal competition in star chambers,
general court handle most cases.

18. Court of Chancery: Specialized courts to better delivery justice. (Old Chinese courts
usually use local officials as judges, and they might be bad judges)

19. Riding circuit judge: circuit riding, In the U.S., the act, once undertaken by a
judge, of traveling within a judicial district (or circuit) to facilitate the hearing of
cases.

20. Nuremberg Trials: Trial of Nazi Germany war criminals in 1945-46.

21. The US supreme court: No terms of office, very powerful. Handles US legislation.
2023 Harlan Crow Scandal: He was discovered bribing the Supreme Court ->
Maintaining justice needs continuous action and efforts.