From the Nuremberg Trials to modern war crimes, and from Supreme Court decisions to local community courts, justice often feels both essential and incomplete. This lecture invites reflection on what we expect from justice, what it asks of us, and how Robert H. Jackson’s belief in law as a moral force continues to resonate today.
Hon. Stephen J. Sfekas is a Senior Judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. He served as an associate judge from 2010 until his retirement in 2017, and previously worked as an assistant attorney general for Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Joseph Young, and in private practice.
A longtime educator, Judge Sfekas has taught health care law at the University of Baltimore Law School for 15 years. He earned a B.A. in International Relations and a J.D. from Georgetown University, and an M.A. in History from Yale University. He is also the host of the podcast, Trials that Shaped Us.
The Robert H. Jackson Center is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization that is dedicated to presenting accurate and balanced information about complex issues. The opinions expressed by various guest speakers, panelists, and authors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center, its Board, and supporters.
The Center fulfills its educational mission by welcoming diverse views and by providing a forum to explore a wide range of perspectives on often controversial legal and public policy issues. While we make an effort to ensure the information we provide is accurate and balanced, we welcome your comments, suggestions, or correction of any factual errors.
Since 2001, the Robert H. Jackson Center has preserved the values embodied in the life and works of Robert H. Jackson, who served as U.S. Solicitor General, U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and Chief U.S. Prosecutor of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. Through programs, presentations, exhibits, media, internships, and scholarship, the Center seeks to demonstrate to current and future generations the relevance and applicability of Justice Jackson’s ideas and writings. The Center provides educational content on the United States Constitution and Supreme Court, civil rights, the legacy of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and international human rights, and the rule of law. During his illustrious career, Justice Jackson addressed these subjects, and the Center recognizes his thinking remains relevant today.
