“The Pelican Brief” Analysis and Overview Essay

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One of the outstanding American writers John Grisham in his novels tends to discover the social and political intrigues being thoroughly hidden from the publicity. His talent is determined by his desire to follow the fair steps in maintaining any democratic affairs in the society of the United States of America. His manner of writing is fascinating in his courageous attempts to discredit all the opportunities and tries of the civil servants, especially in the political field. The author of “The Firm” and further “The Client” achieved crucial popularity due to the grave and direct ideas in another novel titled “The Pelican Brief”.

The plot of the story illustrates the mysterious and unapproved murders of two judges of the Supreme Court, who became interesting for a student of Tulane University Law School Darby Shaw played by Julia Roberts. She begins writing and arranging a brief to this case for working out the real reasons as well as instigators of this assassination. Also, Darby shares her brief with a law professor of the institute Thomas Callahan with whom she even had intimate relationships.

The chain of people informed about this case was added by FBI Washington lawyer Gavin Verheek. Both men soon were killed. The pressure grows higher and higher when Darby realizes that her life is in danger and every step of hers is watched. The only person who encourages Darby Shaw in this potential fact-finding is an interested and involved reporter for ‘Washington Herald’ Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington) with whom they reach the point and find out the copartnership of local tycoon Victor Mattiece who accompanied with the President committed a misdemeanor.

The story by John Grisham supposes those sides in the higher echelons of state authority which deal with corruption and big sums of money considered to be within high-level officials and social figures having great financial background so that to make an influence on the societal affairs. The thing is that the sphere of justice should be neutral to such messes and provide objective thinking and survey of all sides of people’s activity regardless of their strata in the social cut. For this purpose, it is significant to figure out whether the Courts are impacted by several factors like money, power, or even survival?

The base of the Courts is realized with the supplement of personal attitudes, making out and ideological standpoints embodied into preferred values in support of civilians. Judges are the main figures who were placed to vote for or against defendants in criminal prosecution. It concerns the Courts in general, but the highest body of legal power incorporated in the work of the Supreme Court is under supervision.

The attitudinal factor strived at judges leaves many questions from the side of observers, journalists, or other interested people. “Case stimuli (j-points), presented to the justices for approval or disapproval, can similarly be measured in the same multidimensional space: ‘The decision of the Court, in any case, will depend upon whether the case dominates, or is dominated by, a majority of i-points” (p.38).” (Segal&Albert 3)

This statement is logically grounded as for the intentions hidden in every human being as for gaining as more profits as possible. Preferences which every Supreme Judge has to prop up against the constitutional legal norms being the main frameworks for them. As it is known, the Court’s Judges are implemented with relative freedom in their particular cases of “basing their decisions solely upon personal policy preferences for several reasons:

  1. the lack of electoral accountability,
  2. the lack of ambition for higher office, and
  3. the fact that the Supreme Court is the court of last resort.” (Segal&Albert 3)

Turning to the movie it is obvious that the theme of the article by Jeffrey A. Segal and Albert D. Cover strictly coincides with the plot of the live situation that happened in the state of Louisiana. Here one can see the representation of such social cases which seem for a moment to be incapable of solution. The strength of money and power has a lot of opportunities to force on the people responsible for adopting sometimes paramount decisions with regards to the society.

The book by John Grisham and screen adaptation of it make some strict emphasis dealing with the question of impunity of some layers of people within the society and the adaptation of such phenomena in social affairs without pointing out the danger which can be caused by such ‘movers and shakers. Leaving these legal processes unresolved, realizing personal danger for life from the side of men of weight involved in the case annihilates the law system in the United States of America.

Thus, the book by John Grisham “The Pelican Brief” and the like-named movie show the example of corruption implemented in the highest echelons of power. The main character is weak in her social position but strong in her arguments versus the authoritative actual doers. The background of attitudes of the Supreme Court Judges written in the article by Jeffrey A. Segal and Albert D. Cover clears up all pros and cons about the issue.

Works cited

“The Pelican Brief”, movie. Web.

Jeffrey A. Segal and Albert D. Cover, Ideological values and the votes of U.S. Supreme Court Justices; State University of New York, Stony Brook; The American Political Science Review, Vol. 83, No. 2 (1989), pp. 557-565.

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