Justice in public and public opinion in Ancient Greece

In ancient Greece, the judicial system was publicized, justice being a public action made known to everyone. However, informing the public went beyond publicity, and invited public opinion. At a climactic point in Athens, public opinion denounced the corrupt judicial system. The reply, in Athens and elsewhere, consisted in making justice public, by resorting to unprecedented communication. Although disseminating this information to the citizens served the purpose of justice, it remained exceptional. // ABSTRACT IN FRENCH: Reproduced by permission of Bibliothèque de Sciences Po