For four years, Coates served as a federal prosecutor for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in the District of Columbia. This gave her an up-front view on social ills plaguing America. As the title reveals, she, herself black, wrestles at length in this book with the dynamics of race and justice in the legal system. Her analysis does not provide easy answers. Someone surely is not guilty just because he/she is black, but neither is that person automatically innocent. Justice and fairness lies somewhere in between, and in her portrayal, it is difficult even for the best lawyers to tell the difference.
In this book, Coates provides 16 short essays (along with an introduction and conclusion) that describe various cases she encountered as they intersect with events around her own life. The cases are deeply embroiled in the details of life and legalities. Likewise, her emotions are understandably involved with her personal life while she and her husband were starting a family. She sees race and gender as heavy, inescapable realities through which the governing system must dimly search through towards justice.
The stories she shares are profoundly tragic and can cause unease in many readers. Only those who are willing to have their eyes opened should open this book. Human nature does not come off as admirable, and errors lie not just in criminals but also in the “good people.” In the text, police, prosecutors, judges, and even the author have their actions questioned rigorously in pursuit of a better, fairer way. Coates’ pursuit of justice is admirable but arduous.
Not everything is about race; indeed, the middle of the book veers towards primarily other areas of injustice. Racial topics begin and end the book, and the author is at her best when dissecting and describing these. She tells stories about visiting rural Mississippi during the 2012 federal elections as a monitor. She talks about identifying with black defendants while also identifying with the DOJ, her employer. She wonders about the fates of her husband and children in our imperfect society. Those involved in her cases sometimes walk around rather blind to racial matters and come off as not very self-aware. Problems are readily acknowledged with no easy solutions forthcoming.
This book contains no simple narratives, just a relentless contention for justice. Obviously, those involved in the legal system can benefit from perusing this book as well as readers interested in racial matters and wider social issues. This book is serious in tone and content, and potential audiences should include only mature readers. I can only hope that other federal prosecutors approach their work with a similar seriousness that Coates pursues hers with. She readily acknowledges her own faults and tries to imbue in readers the ability to acknowledge their own, whether racial or otherwise. Rather than inspiring through lofty ideals, her narrative challenges readers to reflect on how their own actions fit in the historical arc towards justice.
Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness
By Laura Coates
Copyright (c) 2022
Simon & Schuster
ISBN13 9781982173760
Page Count: 272
Genre: Legal Memoir
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