Hitlers Courts – Betrayal of the rule of Law in Nazi Germany (2005)

Hitlers Courts – Betrayal of the rule of Law in Nazi Germany: Directed by Joshua M. Greene, Shiva Kumar. Documentary about the legal system in Nazi Germany featuring archival footage from the Nazi era, rare photographs, and interviews with various leading voices in international law including writer Joshua Greene, a Canadian lawyer himself. Hitler’s Courts provides a vivid, accessible account of the role of law and lawyers during the Nazi era, and continues to be relevant today in American society as we wrestle with the difficult balance between civil liberties and national security. Democracy is fragile, and the experience of Germany in the 1930s and 1940s demonstrates how even a constitutionally governed nation could succumb to the rhetoric of despots. Without vigilance on the part of our lawyers and judges, the men and women who are charged with the task of safeguarding the rule of law, any nation is vulnerable to the effects of fear and propaganda. Greene suggests that his should be the most enduring lesson of the documentary.

“I only gave this a 9/10 because the 30 minutes was WAY to short! Iu0026#39;m a history buff (but no expert). My father was in WWII and Iu0026#39;ve always had an interest on how Nazis got hold of and maintained power. My general understanding was that Hitler/Nazis used a fake crisis to declare an emergency and then used force and intimidation to maintain a martial law setting. Well, that is not quite true. This film makes it clear that is the failure of the courts to maintain the rule of law was a big part of it. Indeed, thousands of lawyers/judges declared their allegiance to Hitler rather than the rule of law. Where the film misses is in drawing an analogy to what happened in Germany and how something like that could happen here. They only hint at it is when they point out that Germany was a model of modern law and order (as we in the US like to think we are). The funny thing is that Hitler said he was enforcing law and order, but he was doing it so it could be eventually done away with.nI watched this on Amazon (free with Prime, $2.99 to rent) but Iu0026#39;m sure you can find it on other streaming services.”