STEPHEN ELLMANN, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL: ARTHUR CHASKALSON AND THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUALITY IN SOUTH AFRICA.

• Author: Benza, Michael J.

We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1)

This oft quoted passage from Dr. King has been a source of comfort, a rallying cry, and a hopeful truism. What is missing from this quote is the reality that the arc requires our involvement and active participation to bend toward justice. Nowhere was the long arc more difficult, more protracted, and more dangerous than South Africa. In the long and ongoing struggle against the formalized and institutionalized racism of apartheid, some participated with great flourish while others quietly set about the work. The recent biography of Arthur Chaskalson, advocate, quiet activist, architect of the South African Constitution, and first Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, sets out the life and times of Chief Justice Chaskalson while also developing and detailing the legal battles to achieve justice in the face of the political, social, and legal apartheid structures.

I was fortunate to meet Arthur Chaskalson when I began my legal career as the Saul S. Biskind Public Interest Fellow working at the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Arthur was the Director of the national organization and the intellectual and moral force of the LRC. During my time at the LRC, 1992-1993, Arthur was a constant presence despite the incredible workload of his other commitments--at the LRC; with the Multi-Party Negotiating Process, drafting the interim and permanent Constitution; in teaching and mentoring young attorneys and advocates; and as well with his incredible family life. What was striking about Arthur was his aura of calm, of grace, and of dignity.

Professor Ellmann's extensive and personal biography captures the life, the essence, and the work of Arthur. Integrating historical references, legal records, and personal interviews with those who knew Arthur best, Professor Ellmann sets out the story of the man while also setting out the arc towards justice that Arthur was so integral in bending. In many ways. Arthur's life and career tracks the movement of South Africa from a deeply and officially segregated and brutal state to one on the path towards justice for all. But like the evolution of South Africa, the evolution of Arthur was not linear, the motivations were not always apparent, and there were sidetracks, setbacks, and disasters along the way.

Professor Ellmann does an exceptional job of capturing...