Legal Rhetoric Under Stress: The Example of Vichy

Authors

• Richard H. Weisberg, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawFollow

Abstract

The article examines the complicity of the Vichy legal system in the persecution of Jews during World War II, arguing that French lawyers and judges actively contributed to Nazi objectives through legalistic rhetoric and formalism. By focusing on individual cases and interpretive debates, the legal profession avoided addressing the moral and ethical implications of their actions, enabling the enforcement of oppressive policies. The analysis critiques the failure of legal professionalism and the dangers of prioritizing formalism over human rights.

Disciplines

Comparative and Foreign Law | Courts | Law | Legal History

Recommended Citation

Richard H. Weisberg, Legal Rhetoric Under Stress: The Example of Vichy, 12 Cardozo L. Rev. 1371 (1991).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/clr/vol12/iss5/13