The Hand of Justice

Take a look at the beautiful portrait of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor now showing at the entrance to Langdell Library at the Law School.

Check out the right hand of the newest member of the High Court.

Count the fingers.

Count them again.

There are six.

Does madame justice really sport an extra digit?

"We don't think so, but if she does, she does a good job of hiding it," says a public information officer at the Supreme Court.

According to Bernice Loss, curator of the Law School's Art Collection, the painting was a unsolicited loan from Washington artist Christa Kabitz-Sommer, mother of a 1983 Law School grad.

"I told her I would be glad to exhibit it in the reading room for three months it she wanted," Loss says. "I don't think I ought to comment on the artist's talent, really."