Spirit of Justice
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Spirit of Justice is a cast aluminum statue depicting Lady Justice that stands on display along with its male counterpart Majesty of Law in the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building building in Washington, D.C., the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice. The status is of a woman wearing a toga-like dress with one breast revealed and arms raised and measures 12.5 feet (150 inches). The statue was commissioned in 1933 at a cost of $7000 and was 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 images of Lady Justice, Spirit of Justice is not wearing a blindfold to symbolize blind justice. The entrance to the Rayburn House Office Building also features sculptures entitled The Majesty of the Law and The Spirit of Justice.
[edit] Spirit of Justice and the Attorneys General
- In 1986, during a news photographing, she (Statue) was seen behind then-attorney general Edwin Meese III as he discussed a report on pornography.
- In 2002, under John Ashcroft, curtains were put up blocking the statue from view during speeches. 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, yet intercepted emails told a somewhat different story. The incident became public because of an internal e-mails referred to "hiding the statues". Ashcroft's successor, Alberto Gonzales, removed the curtains in June 2005.
