Is the Law just? After facing a jury of his peers, Socrates was sentenced to death for the crime of 'corrupting the youth'. Athenian law required him to drink a cup of poison hemlock, but did he deserve to die? Are lawyers immoral? Should defence lawyers be allowed to help the guilty go free by outsmarting prosecutors and raising technical points? Are judges lawmakers? Courts have legalised gay marriage and banned the death penalty. When judges deliver landmark decisions, are they making law or merely interpreting ...
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Is the Law just? After facing a jury of his peers, Socrates was sentenced to death for the crime of 'corrupting the youth'. Athenian law required him to drink a cup of poison hemlock, but did he deserve to die? Are lawyers immoral? Should defence lawyers be allowed to help the guilty go free by outsmarting prosecutors and raising technical points? Are judges lawmakers? Courts have legalised gay marriage and banned the death penalty. When judges deliver landmark decisions, are they making law or merely interpreting it? Drinking Hemlock combines Socratic dialogue with years of experience from practising lawyers to solve these legal conundrums. Author Info: Helen Sarah Robertson completed her doctorate in philosophy at University College London. She lectures at the University of the Witwatersrand. Mark Oppenheimer is an advocate at the Johannesburg Bar. He has appeared in the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court.
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