Everything is Created by Law and Order

Above the entrance to the U.S. Department of Justice building on Constitution Avenue is a relief by Carl Paul Jennewein titled Everything is Created by Law and Order. It depicts five classical figures, who represent from left to right: Law, Prosperity, Opportunity, Peace, and Order. The central youth, Opportunity, rests his hands on two Doric columns and symbolizes the promising possibilities of the future. The laurel plant and oak tree that grow next to the columns symbolize civic and military valor. The two female figures, Prosperity and Peace, flank the columns. The male figures on either end of the composition, Law and Order, help enforce peace and prosperity. Law, on the left, holds a scroll and a sword, while Order spears a hissing snake, suggesting his command over the forces of discord. Above the figures, a Latin inscription reads, “Lege Atque Ordine Omnia Fiunt,” which translates to “By law and order all is accomplished.” The phrase comes from the Epistles written by Greek philosopher Pliny the Younger.

Because Jennewein oversaw the entire sculptural program for the building, the architects requested he enlist other sculptors to help him complete the commissions. Jennewein provided the designs, and the carvings were completed by stone carvers William Kapp, Bruno Mankowski, Roger Morigi, and Otto Thieleman, who worked for the John Donnelly Company. The relief was installed in 1935, shortly after the building’s dedication.