This book should be an indispensable companion for any student or teacher interested in law and politics, as it introduces the reader to the political dimension of legal notions and as it analyses the legal dimension of a number of central themes of political studies. Chr. Zarari European Review of Public Law January 2001 ...analyses, which he carries through with elegance and erudition...Sword and Scales elegantly and convincingly demonstrates that to view law and politics in terms of such a simple antithesis is both misleading and sterile. Terence Daintith Public Law Review June 2002 In sum, this is a book overflowing with ideas and insights, and written in a style which avoids obscure formulations but never the important questions. If in the end, the wide audience that the book deserves is left wanting more, this is not a mark of failure but rather a tribute to the rich suggestiveness and novelty of the author's approach to a very old subject. Neil Walker, EUI, Florence Public Law February 2003 Martin Loughlin's topic is the relationship between politics and justice - between sword and scales. It's as thorough an examination as any lawyer might ever need to read But this is no dusty tome. Loughlin considers contemporary issues that lie at the interface of politics and law He produces points of real relevance. Four years on from its first publication, with Saddam Hussein in jail and our senior judges getting Bolshie, Loughlin's book is now more important than when it was written. Non-lawyers should read it too. Austin Mitchell Tribune June 2004 He conducts as thorough an examination as any lawyer might ever need to readthis is no dull and dusty tome...He produces points of searing relevanceLoughlin's book is even more important than when written. Solicitors' Journal November 2004