Dignity is important in the law and the justice system because one of the things that the

justice system does is that it robs people of their dignity. We acknowledge that dignity is

important because one of the greatest things that we do is diminish it when people come through our systems.

Hi and welcome back to Amicus. This is Slate's podcast about the courts and the law and justice with a capital

J. And we are into our summer series where we look at some big books, movies, podcasts, whatever,

that made a huge difference to us. And this week, we are talking to Judge Victoria Pratt.

Her new book, The Power of Dignity,

was published this past May by Seale Press. As Chief Judge in Newark Municipal Court in Newark,

Newark, New Jersey, she spent years thinking about how justice could actually be delivered to

defendants and how, as judges,

there is a part to play in building back trust in the justice system.

When I read her book this past winter and disclosure I did blurb it, I was really struck

by the ways in which Judge Pratt thinks about centering dignity, dignity,

injustice.

It's a word that we don't use often enough, and it has a real place in public discourse.

It's really informed the way I think about justice right now. My only other CODA is that we need more judges

on this show. We've had a couple judge Robert Lasnik came on. It's really important for the

American public to hear from judges and former judges about how they think and what they do.

So to all you judges and former judges out there, please take a page, literally from Judge Pratt's book.

Don't just write books. Be on shows. Be in the public discourse because we need to hear that you are real people. It's part of

why the integrity and the dignity of the court is something that feels so elusive. So with all that,

it is such a joy to introduce the Honorable Victoria Pratt. She served as the chief judge

...