Defense of the Public

Originally located over the entrances to the Attorney General's office and the Solicitor General's office, these panels were relocated two years after their installation.  The Department of Treasury's Section of Painting and Sculpture, with the consent of the architects of the Department of Justice building, requested the move in order to make room for a series of murals completed by Henry Varnum Poor in 1936.  Schmitz modeled the four panels on designs submitted by Carl Paul Jennewein, the artist responsible for overseeing all of the sculptural design in the Department of Justice building.

The two panels originally placed over the entrance to the Attorney General's office, were Interpretation of Law and Investigation of Truth.  In Interpretation of Law a seated contemporary man receives the teachings and wisdom of Moses and Solon, two ancient law makers, while Justice stands ready to record the new interpretation.  This panel symbolizes how past sources of the legal tradition can influence modern interpretations.  Investigation of Truth presents Truth as mirrored by Justice, who triumphs over the figure of falsehood who holds her deceitful mask aloft as she turns away.  Defense of the Public and Master of Crime were the two panels removed from the Solicitor General's entrance.  The idea of Defense of the Public is communicated through the protective female figure of Justice who stands alert, guarding an ideal family grouping.  Master of Crime depicts Justice as a stern female figure holding an eagle, a symbol of power and victory since Roman times.  She presides over three struggling figures in various states of imprisonment, motioning for them to move on to the jailhouse pictured in the background.