soul of justice

there is nothing more inspiring to an aspiring attorney than the life and times of a man who, as a federal judge, has transformed lives. this too-short documentary on Thelton Henderson provides a snapshot of selected moments of his life and career, notably: joining the justice department to work the civil rights movement in the south (his qualification for the job was that he was a black man who would graduate from law school) and the indomitable generosity that compelled him to resign his position after lending Martin Luther King his car; single-handedly altering the racial composition of Stanford Law School; creating dolphin-safe tuna; incurring the wrath of the GOP for his support of affirmative action and insisting on, then personally overseeing, a more humane California prison system. star-studded with academics and activists, the film has a special appeal to fans of Alias due to Carl Lumbly's powerful narration.