The Best Beloved Thing is Justice: The Life of Dorothy Wright Nelson

Dorothy Wright Nelson was a prominent federal judge who served for over 40 years, specializing in reforming courts to make them more just and accessible. She was an early tenured female law professor and one of the rare female deans in the U.S. legal academy. Nelson believed in peaceful conflict resolution and educated judges around the world on conflict resolution and the rule of law. She also advocated for human rights, particularly for Bahá ís persecuted around the globe. Nelson and her husband balanced their professional achievements with their personal commitments, raising two children and engaging in Bahá í activities.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 13 June 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Dorothy Wright Nelson was a prominent federal judge on the level just below the U.S. Supreme Court for over 40 years. She was one of the early tenured female law professors and one of the rare female deans in the U.S. legal academy in the 1960s and 70s. Her expertise was in reforming courts to make them more just and accessible for all people.

When she became a federal judge in 1980, she helped to make the federal courts more efficient and provide litigants with alternatives to resolve cases without greater expense and delay. An ardent believer in more peaceful resolution of conflicts, Judge Nelson educated judges around the world on conflict resolution and the rule of law, often while engaging quietly in human rights advocacy for persecuted Bahá's around the globe. Her Bahá faith also inspired her judicial opinions, providing more equality and due process for the marginalized, including the poor, racial minorities, immigrants, mentally ill, and the powerless.

Dorothy and her husband, a state court judge, balanced their professional achievements with their personal commitments in a manner unusual for their time. They devoted considerable energy to raising their two children, spending time with their extended family, and engaging in Bahá activities (including world travel, youth camps, weekly Sunday School, and firesides in their home). This book captures the life story of an extraordinary female leader and trailblazer in a highly traditional, male-dominated profession, unafraid to challenge the status quo in her pleasant, optimistic, determined, and collegial manner.

Weight: 460g
Dimension: 243 x 164 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197608579