Law at USMA

The original Department of Law was built under the leadership and service of extraordinary Judge Advocates. The first professor of law, MAJ Asa Bird Gardiner, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Battle of Gettysburg. He was followed four years later by MG Norman Lieber, son of Dr. Francis Lieber, author of the Lieber Code, which served as the basis for General Orders 101 (rules regarding conduct in war) during the Civil War. Lieber introduced the study of the laws of war to the curriculum at West Point. After his service at West Point, he became the longest-serving Judge Advocate General in Army history.

Changes to the academic curriculum in 1999 gave cadets the ability to pursue academic majors, including the Law and Legal Studies major. Since then, interest in the Law and Legal Studies major among the Corps of Cadets has increased exponentially through the years. In 2024, the Department made 57 seats available to the Class of 2027 to pursue the major. All available seats were quickly filled in a competitive process that regretfully saw over a dozen strong applicants turned away. 

Philosophy at USMA

The study of philosophy also has a storied history here at the Academy. Moral philosophy was taught by various departments as far back as 1802. On April 14, 1818, Sylvanus Thayer, the “Father of the Military Academy,” established a professorship of History, Geography, and Ethics, and in doing so, created the first formal department for the study of philosophy. 

The 1840s witnessed the formation of the first “stand-alone” Department of Ethics at the Academy. At that time, first- and third-class cadets took courses in rhetoric, logic, moral philosophy, and ethics. Following the end of the Civil War, studies in the humanities were paused until 1877. 

Over the next 100 years, instruction in ethics was conducted at the discretion of Academy leadership but was not unified in a single program. Then, in 1976, the Secretary of the Army charged a committee led by Frank Borman (USMA 1950) to review the implementation of West Point’s Honor Code and the effectiveness of instruction in ethics and professionalism at the Academy. The Borman Commission recommended a comprehensive academic program in philosophy, ethics, and professional development. The Department of the Army subsequently directed the Academy to reintroduce its earlier courses in ethics and philosophy.

DELPHI Crest

The outer ring of the crest reads "United States Military Academy" flanked by five-pointed stars, which are often associated with the American flag.  The two main figures are Themis, the ancient Greek goddess of justice and law (often called "Lady Justice"), and Athena, goddess of war and wisdom. The two figures symbolize, respectively, the now-united disciplines of law and philosophy. 

Themis is blindfolded to signify her impartiality, and she holds aloft the scales of justice. She also holds a sword inscribed in Roman numerals with "1874," the year of the founding of the Department of Law at West Point.  

Athena wears the armor of a hoplite, including a helmet that is tilted back on her head as in many traditional depictions, and she holds a spear to represent her connection to war and the martial way of life. At her feet is a stylized owl, drawn in the manner depicted on ancient Athenian coins. The owl is a symbol of wisdom often associated with Athena and the city of Athens, the ancient center of philosophy and learning. Athena holds at her feet a Greek aspis, a shield with Greek lettering on the outer ring that reads "dikaiosune kai philosophia" ("justice and love of wisdom"). 

This shield is meant to be another symbol in itself for the Department of Law of Philosophy. In the center of the shield is an eight-point compass, which symbolizes prudence, the cardinal virtue that guides decision-making in complex environments. It regards both the correct application of the law and moral decision-making in general. 

The design also functions as a "moral compass," i.e., it always points to true north, which confirms DELPHI's commitment to objective legal and moral truth. Its position on the shield signifies that it protects both the bearer and the country. The compass, as an essential instrument of navigation, represents a connection to the military profession. Finally, it also evokes a stylized sun or star, whose light in ancient philosophy represented truth, goodness, and even reality. 

Beneath the words "Department of Law and Philosophy," inscribed in Roman numerals, is "2024," the sesquicentennial of the founding of the old Department of Law and the year of the merger of the disciplines of law and philosophy in one department.