Publication Date

2001

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Professor Thomas suggests that the television series the practice breaks from tradition by portraying the law as arbitrary and subject to manipulation. On one hand, its narratives show that law may require the guilty to be set free. On the other hand, the law sometimes fails to protect the innocent. Outcomes often turn on extralegal factors such as luck, race, or heroic efforts. This portrayal is a "postmodern" depiction of the rule of law. The narratives from the practice deconstruct the traditional rule of law hierarchy by showing that the rule of man can lead to more just results. The narratives show greater public acceptance of postmodernist ideas about law, and may encourage a greater skepticism in American culture about reliance on the rule of law.

Publication Title

UCLA Law Review

Volume

48

Issue

6

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