ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the extent to which those who worked on the court building programme for nearly half a century have been successful in imagining and commissioning justice facilities fit for a modern democracy. It explores relationship between the legal system and democratic forms of government, the ways in which egalitarian ideals shape our understanding of the trial, discusses the parameters of the empirical research reported, and outlines the project’s key concerns and claims. Despite the findings, the absence of a coherent account of the role of the laity in the trial has been a constant barrier in attempts to articulate a jurisprudence of design or the ways in which architecture can facilitate the enjoyment of participation. The relationship between democracy, law and the legal system has a complex history. The chapter also provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
