Definitions: (1) having principles of rectitude, honesty, and righteousness; upright; proper; (2) equitable; impartial; fair; (3) the duty of a judge; discriminating, reliable, and reasonable
Sayings:
• Let justice be done though the heavens fall.
• Justice is fairness through time.
Motto: Justitia omnibus (Latin): “Justice for all.” — District of Columbia
Quotes:
• It is wise to disregard laws when they conflict with justice. — Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) Tik-Tok of Oz {1914}
• The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. — Amenemope (c. 1100 BC) The Wisdom of Amenemope, 3:7; found 1888 {published 1922}
• Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. — John Rawls (1921-2002) American philosopher
• Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) Letter from Birmingham City Jail {1963}
• Appropriate anger can be a force for good. Anger has provoked good and courageous people to come forward and defend the rights of those who are powerless to defend themselves. — Abigail Van Buren [born Pauline Phillips] (1918-2013) The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal with It {1998}
Comments:
• Justice has a lot to do with seeing reality from the other person’s point of view.
• Vengeance has nothing to do with justice.
Observation: The problem with a jury of one’s peers is the redneck jury who sentenced a fourteen-year-old black boy to death because he allegedly spoke flippantly to an older white woman. Then when the jury who tried him were put on trial, their peers declared their actions just. There must also be, at least, fairness to hold justice up.
Symbols: 1) fourteen; 2) the crane; 3) the sword; 4) Lady Justice [blindfolded woman with scales]
Mythological Figure: Astraea, in Greek and Roman mythology, the goddess of justice who became the constellation Virgo