Overview

Sixty years have passed since the Nuremberg trials of the major Nazi war criminals, but that event still stands as the foundation of international justice. Nuremberg not only ignited a revolution in international law but affected domestic law as well with its simple but profound principle that every individual accused of crime is entitled to a full and fair hearing. This book reveals how the precedents set at Nuremberg have affected human rights, race relations, medical practice, big business and even Germany's post-war development. It also examines the Nuremberg trials' influence on the modern war crimes trials of tyrants like Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein.

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9781403979650

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Reviews

An effective history and study of the impact of such powerful procedures on the modern world - Library Journal The Nuremberg trials hold many lessons in justice and human rights that resonate today. From his unique vantage point as an eyewitness to the trials and as a judge, Norbert Ehrenfreund sets out a clear warning about the direction our nation is taking but gives us hope with this refreshing new take on the founding principles of justice as we know it. --Senator Christopher J. Dodd<p> Pertinent, thorough overview...a tremendous case for adhering to the Nuremberg legacy of fair treatment for even the most odious offenders. Students and young adults will especially value this accessible, personable work. -- Kirkus Most Americans today don't even know the difference between the Nuremberg laws (Nazi racist legislation enacted before WWII) and the Nuremberg principles (the rules that emerged from the trials of Nazi war criminals after WWII). This readable eyewitness account - combining fascinating anecdotes with brilliant insights - will educate and inspire. It is as relevant today, as we confront a new form of totalitarian terrorism and can only hope that we are able to bring its perpetrators to justice under the Nuremberg principle. --Alan M. Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Harvard Law School Offers a compelling and original contribution to our understanding of the first international criminal tribunal in history. --William Aceves, California Western School of Law, San Diego<br> Judge Ehrenfreund's book is distinguished by a combination of elegant writing and a deep understanding of the subject. This is essential reading for anyone interested inNuremberg. --Henry T. King, Jr., former Nuremberg prosecutor and author of The Two Worlds of Albert Speer Part memoir, part history lesson, and part critique of recent U.S. government policies, this important book recounts the story of the Nuremberg trials and their immense legacy in shaping human rights policies today. A timely, well-researched, and well-written study. -- Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University and author of American Judaism: A History This book describes the horror of the Nazi genocide, and my life as one of the Untermenschen Hitler sought to exterminate but what is different about this work is that Judge Ehrenfreund tells what that experience means for modern times. -- Lou Dunst, Holocaust survivor, Auschwitz and Mauthausen (Ebensee) concentration camps

"'Offers a compelling and original contribution to our understanding of the first international criminal tribunal in history.' - William Aceves, California Western School of Law, San Diego 'Judge Ehrenfreund's book is distinguished by a combination of elegant writing and a deep understanding of the subject. This is essential reading for anyone interested in Nuremberg.' - Henry T. King, Jr., former Nuremberg prosecutor and author of The Two Worlds of Albert Speer 'This book describes the horror of the Nazi genocide, and my life as one of the Untermenschen Hitler sought to exterminate but what is different about this work is that Judge Ehrenfreund tells what that experience means for modern times.' - Lou Dunst, Holocaust survivor, Auschwitz and Mauthausen (Ebensee) concentration camps ""This readable eyewitness account -- combining fascinating anecdotes with brilliant insights -- will educate and inspire. It is as relevant today, as we confront a new form of totalitarian terrorism and can only hope that we be able to bring its perpetrators to justice under the Nuremberg principle."" - Alan M. Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law Harvard Law School ""The Nuremberg trials hold many lessons in justice and human rights that resonate today. From his unique vantage point as an eyewitness to the trials and as a Judge, Norbert Ehrenfreund sends out a clear warning about the direction our nation is taking but also gives us hope with this refreshing new take on the founding principles of justice as we know it."" - Senator Christopher J. Dodd ""Part memoir, part history lesson, and part critique of recent U.S. government policies, this important book recounts the story of the Nuremberg trials and their immense legacy in shaping human rights policies today. A timely, well-researched, and well-written study."" - Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H.& Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University and author of American Judaism: A History ""Pertinent, thorough overview...a tremendous case for adhering to the Nuremberg legacy of fair treatment for even the most odious offenders. Students and young adults will especially value this accessible, personable work."" Kirkus Reviews"

An impassioned defense of the Nuremberg legacy by California supreme-court judge Ehrenfreund, a former journalist at the war-crimes trials. After serving with the occupation forces at the end of World War II, the author became a reporter for The Stars and Stripes, covering the trials of the captured Nazi high command from 1945 to 1949. In this pertinent, thorough overview, Ehrenfreund revisits the initial trial and considers its legacy, both as it affected his decision to become a trial lawyer, and the important precedents it has set in terms of prosecuting and checking future crimes against humanity. The author begins near the end of the war, when Secretary of War Henry Stimson and lawyer Murray Bernays successfully convinced President Roosevelt that a trial rather than summary execution was morally necessary in order to expose Hitler's plan as a criminal conspiracy and to establish a full record of Nazi atrocities. Supreme Court associate justice Robert H. Jackson, appointed chief prosecutor by President Truman, insisted that the Nazis must have a fair trial: due process, a lawyer for each, presumption of innocence. Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess and 19 other defendants were charged with conspiracy to wage war, waging aggressive war, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Few witnesses were called; the bulk of the case was made with a mountain of documentary evidence. Despite the defendants' charges of unfairness, the trial convicted 18 on at least one count, and 12 were hanged. From this astounding precedent, the author considers the successes and failures of the 12 subsequent Nuremberg trials and the Tokyo trial of Japanese war leaders, as well as the Nuremberg precedent in cases of medical ethics, human rights, racial prejudice, criminal big business and the establishment of a long-overdue international court to try the world's dictators. The author makes a tremendous case for adhering to the Nuremberg legacy of fair treatment for even the most odious offenders. Students and young adults will especially value this accessible, personable work. (Kirkus Reviews)

Author Information

NORBERT EHRENFREUND has served as a judge for thirty years in the Superior Court of California, USA. He served as a correspondent for The Stars and Stripes during the Nuremberg trials. He now lives in San Diego, California, USA.

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