In the wake of Watergate, Gerald Ford appointed eminent lawyer and
scholar Edward H. Levi to the post of attorney general--and thus gave
him the onerous task of restoring legitimacy to a discredited Department
of Justice. Levi was famously fair-minded and free of political baggage,
and his inspired addresses during this tumultuous time were critical to
rebuilding national trust. They reassured a tense and troubled nation
that the Department of Justice would act in accordance with the
principles underlying its name, operating as a nonpartisan organization
under the strict rule of law.
For Restoring Justice, Jack Fuller has carefully chosen from among
Levi's speeches a selection that sets out the attorney general's view of
the considerable challenges he faced: restoring public confidence
through discussion and acts of justice, combating the corrosive
skepticism of the time, and ensuring that the executive branch would
behave judicially. Also included are addresses and Congressional
testimonies that speak to issues that were hotly debated at the time,
including electronic surveillance, executive privilege, separation of
powers, antitrust enforcement, and the guidelines governing the
FBI--many of which remain relevant today.
Serving at an almost unprecedentedly difficult time, Levi was among the
most admired attorney generals of the modern era. Published here for the
first time, the speeches in Restoring Justice offer a superb sense of
the man and his work.
