The Bar Before the Bar, by Stephanie Shaakaa

We sit in air conditioned sanctuaries draped in the solemn austerity of black and white, parsing the fragile architecture of jurisprudence with the steady hands of secular priests. We cite sections and subsections like sacred scripture, penning eloquent briefs on the inviolability of the ballot, and standing before high tribunals to decry the systemic desecration of democratic choice. We posture as the vigilant guardians of the public trust, the ultimate safety net for a republic perpetually ga