One of the movies I revere is 1961’s Judgment at Nuremberg. Produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, it is a fictionalized account of the “Judges Trial”, where the jurists responsible for enforcing the Nazi laws were tried.

It has powerful performances by Spencer Tracy, Marlene Dietrich, Burt Lancaster, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, and Maximillian Schell – with strong support from Richard Widmark, William Shatner, and Werner Klemperer.

It was the first popular movie to show actual footage of the Nazi death camps (filmed by American and British soldiers after the camps were liberated).

And in particular for me, Tracy’s haunting speech at the close of the trial, where he renders the majority decision, is a testament – a testament to the meaning of a civilized society.

No matter when I’ve rewatched it, his words (with the screenplay by Abby Mann) resonate with a seeming warning about the times.

And now, at the start of the second Trump term, the movie, and Tracy’s speech, seem more relevant than ever.

Suppression of free speech; deportations without due process; seizing people off the streets without warrants; and intimidation of academic freedom are eerie echoes of what has happened in the past.

And there is Kilmar Albrego Garcia – deported to El Salvador’s black-hole prison. Accused of being a member of MS-13 (with no real evidence, except ‘testimony’ by a supposed “confidential informant”), he was deported without due process. U.S. Courts have directed that he be returned for at least hearings.

But the Trump administration has said it’s powerless to do anything to get him back; the president of El Salvador has said the same. So, he continues in a living nightmare – apparently without hope.

I don’t know if Mr. Garcia is innocent or guilty as the Trump administration alleges. But he has a right to due process, including the Justice Department presenting factual evidence that proves their case.

It would be easy to consider this a partisan attack on the Trump administration. It is not. I have no use for either the Democrats or the Republicans.

In the end, it is about what Tracy asked in his speech – what do we stand for as a country when we believe the knife is at our throat?

If we cannot value the life of a single human being –  all the beliefs and words spoken about our supposed democracy are a sham.

 

The clip of that speech is below: