When you think of the Supreme Court Law Library, you likely envision lawyers, law students and court staff rumbling through law books and online search engines. That is largely correct, but the Alabama Supreme Court Library is adding an unusual feature – a valuable and meaningful art object of historic legal significance.
The addition is a valued bust of Sir William Blackstone, the English jurist who authored "Blackstone's Commentaries," which were vital during the founding of our nation and remain influential today.
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker, an ardent student of Blackstone and collector of historic Blackstone volumes, acquired a bust of Blackstone at an auction. He has housed it on display in the Chief Justice's Conference Room, but it will be moved on loan to the Supreme Court Law Library after the end of Parker's term in January 2025. The library is refinishing an appropriate showcase.
William Blackstone is considered a pillar of British and American law. Though he lived from 1723 to 1780, his influence continues today. His seminal work was "Commentaries on the Laws of England," commonly known as "Blackstone's Commentaries."
Those commentaries influenced American founders Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, John Jay, John Adams and, later, Abraham Lincoln. To this day, the Commentaries are cited in court decisions, including from the Alabama and U.S. Supreme Courts.
The influence of Blackstone's Commentaries on the development of American law cannot be overstated.
English legal professor William Searle Holdsworth expressed it this way: "If the Commentaries had not been written when they were written, I think it very doubtful that the United States, and other English speaking countries would have so universally adopted the common law."
Parker's bust of Blackstone was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, originally from Vienna and later a U.S. citizen. He became one of the outstanding sculptors of famous people and events.
Think:
The iconic sculpture which became the Iwo Jima Memorial
John Marshall
George Wythe
Bust of Harry Truman
Bust of John F. Kennedy
Statue of World War I hero Sergeant York
Statue of General Pershing
Parker's copy of de Weldon's Blackstone bust was owned by Major General Arthur Briggs Hanson. During World War II, Hanson served in the Marines and was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war, he continued serving in the reserves as a JAG officer. He maintained a Washington, D.C. law practice and argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He authored "Hanson on Libel and Related Torts."
The bust of a major founder of American law is staying in legal hands.
"No enactment of man can be considered law unless it conforms to the law of God." - Sir William Blackstone
Jim' Zig' Zeigler's beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama. He writes about Alabama people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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