(image source: MFO)
Presentation:
Jean-Paul Jean will present his book, which examines the role of judges under Vichy and during the Purge, drawing on previously unpublished archives to reassess their responsibilities, choices, and the enduring challenges facing justice and the rule of law. With Lise Jaulin (Liaison Judge, French Embassy in London) I Chair: Anne Simonin (EHESS-CESPRA). How could judges who had sworn an oath of loyalty to Marshal Pétain and served the Vichy regime later go on to preside over the courts of the Purge? What was the justice system’s actual role in enforcing the laws during the Occupation, in the persecution of Jews, and in the repression of members of the Resistance? By presenting the careers of prosecutors and judges throughout the dark years—ranging from wait-and-see attitudes to collaboration, resistance, or the ambiguous position of “Vichy-resisters”—this work places in context the concrete situations magistrates faced and the choices they made in conscience. Why was Paul Didier the only one to refuse to swear an oath to Pétain? What did resistance-minded magistrates actually do? How did the judiciary contribute to the exclusion of Jews? What is the reality behind the controversial career of André Mornet, the “Vichy-resister” and prosecutor general who called for the death penalty against Pétain? How were the judges of the special sections tried after the war? Why were the trials of the Purge able to rely only on very partial evidence? Drawing on numerous previously unpublished documents from public and private archives, the book sheds new light on this period. By placing this dark chapter of history in perspective—also illuminated by post-war reforms, including women’s access to the judiciary and the early foundations of international criminal justice—it opens a broader debate on the contemporary challenges facing justice, a cornerstone of the rule of law now widely threatened by populist and authoritarian drift.
Venue:
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