Les Gens de Justice. / Maitre Chapotard lisant dans un journal judiciaire l’eloge de lui meme par lui meme.

Title

Les Gens de Justice. / Maitre Chapotard lisant dans un journal judiciaire l’eloge de lui meme par lui meme.

Caricature about people of the judiciary. It shows Maître Chapotard reading his own praise about himself in the judicial newspaper.

ca. 1848

Artist

Daumier (1808-1879)

Historical Description

The concept of law and justice dates back to the early advanced civilizations – such as ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Rome. Already in the Roman Empire, there were trained legal scholars (iuris consulti) who systematized and influenced private law – Roman law continues to shape many legal systems to this day. The judiciary includes the state institutions responsible for administering justice, namely courts and judges. It developed when rulers began to centralize the resolution of disputes, rather than leaving them to local customs or vigilante justice. In the Middle Ages, law was heavily influenced by religion and political power. It was only during the Enlightenment (17th–18th century) that the idea of a neutral rule of law became stronger – with independent courts, written legal codes, and the principle that "all are equal before the law."