Lady Justice, which balances justice, is one of the most recognizable symbols of the legal system. Learn more about the statue`s meaning in today`s blog. Lady Justice and her symbols are used in heraldry, especially in the arms and seals of legal government agencies. Almost everyone, in real life or through television dramas in the courtroom, is aware of the main symbol of our justice system. It can be found in and around many courthouses across the country (and in particular on the Old Bailey Criminal Court in London). This is the statue of “Lady Justice” – blindfolded and holding her scales and sword. She may be the most famous stepwoman, but what does she represent? The statue of Lady Justice usually comes in the form of a woman standing or sitting. She is usually dressed in a gown dress, perhaps barefoot, and her hair flows down her shoulders or is braided into a bun or around her head. She holds a scale or scale with two trays in one hand and a sword in the other; Usually, the scale is in the left hand and the sword in the right, but this is not always the case. Sometimes she also wears a blindfold. I spent many days in his courtroom, contemplating the historic beauty of the courthouse and absorbing everything I could.
One day, I noticed something that made me think. I realized that there was something missing from painting right behind my mentor, perhaps the most important thing. The painting was by Lady Justice, but she was not wearing her blindfold. It seemed to be in stark contrast to my mentor and everything else I had developed a passion for. You see, I knew then that I wanted to fight injustice, and I believed then, as I do now, that being a prosecutor was a way to do it. While in law school, I had the opportunity to work for a judge in Findlay, Ohio. He was a wonderful mentor. Fair and balanced, he truly cared about everyone who entered his courtroom. I would describe him as the embodiment of justice in the most idealistic sense of the word. Works of art depicting the statue of the Lady of Justice, whether in the form of paintings, sculptures, coats of arms or metal statues, can be found all over the world.
If you`re in North or South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South and East Asia, and Australasia, you`ll likely see the statue of the Lady of Justice in courthouses, law firms, and legal educational institutions. The history of the statue of Lady Justice dates back thousands of years and usually bears symbols of justice. Lady Justice is blindfolded. A court starts a trial of a dispute without prior knowledge and total impartiality, hence the banner on Lady Justice. It is about symbolizing that justice must be done “without passion or prejudice” to ensure a just outcome. First of all, the banner on Lady Justice represents the notion of impartiality. The idea of impartiality is of paramount importance in the legal system, as it means that justice must be applied regardless of the circumstances. Second, scales of justice mean that the weight of evidence for and against an issue must be weighed and considered before a judgment is rendered. The scales of justice go straight to the heart of the law and duty to consider both sides. After all, the sword represents a sense of authority and power, and this justice can be administered quickly and in its final way.
Lady Justice, which balances justice, is one of the most recognizable symbols of the legal system. The statue of Lady Justice weighing the scales of justice shows an aura of fairness, opportunity and, as you can imagine, justice. In fact, Lady Justice or a version of it is not only common in the United States, but also a well-known symbol for several countries around the world. Justice was one of the virtues celebrated by Emperor Augustus in his clipeus virtutis, and a temple of Iustitia was founded in Rome by Emperor Tiberius. [3] Iustitia became a symbol of the virtue of justice to which each emperor wished to associate his regime; Emperor Vespasian minted coins with the image of the goddess sitting on a throne called Iustitia Augusta, and many emperors after him used the image of the goddess to declare themselves protectors of justice. [3] Instead of the Janus approach, many sculptures simply omit the blindfold. For example, on the Old Bailey courthouse in London stands a statue of Lady Justice without a blindfold; [8] Court pamphlets explain that this is because Lady Justice was not originally blindfolded and because her “blank form” is supposed to guarantee her impartiality, making the blindfold superfluous. [9] Another variant is to depict a blindfolded woman of justice as a human scale, weighing competing claims in each hand.
An example of this is the Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee. [10] Lady Justice (Latin: Iustitia) is an allegorical personification of moral power in judicial systems. [1] [2] Their attributes are scales, a sword, and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears in a relationship with Prudentia. Scales: These represent the impartiality and obligation of the law (through its representatives) to evaluate the evidence presented to the court. Each side of a legal case must be examined and comparisons must be made when justice is done. The scales in Lady Justice`s hands are the scales of justice. Each party in a trial presents their evidence to the court (and puts it on the balance of justice). The ladder then slowly begins to tilt in one direction or the other. At the end of the process, the winner is the party that tipped the scales in their favor. The concept of Lady Justice is very old and dates back to Greek and Egyptian antiquity.
Themis, the Greek goddess, represented law, order and justice, while the Egyptians had Ma`at, who defended order and carried both a sword and the pen of truth. The most direct comparison, however, is with the Roman goddess of justice, Justitia. Because many statues of Lady Justice were built and erected in North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they suffered extreme weather or were even dismantled and moved. Heather & Little has successfully and painstakingly restored or replaced a number of statues of the Lady of Justice, including one at the Navarro County Courthouse in Corsicana, Texas, and another at the Milam County Courthouse in Cameron, Texas, both made of copper foil. The zinc sheet was used to repair the statue of Lady Justice at the Edgar County Courthouse in Paris, Illinois. Headband: This first appeared on a statue of Lady Justice in the 16th century and has been used intermittently ever since. Apparently, its original meaning was that the judicial system tolerated abuse or ignorance of certain aspects of the law. In modern times, however, the headband represents the impartiality and objectivity of the law and is not influenced by external factors such as politics, wealth, or celebrity. The sword Lady Justice carries is intended to promote the concept that justice can be quick and final, as swords are historical symbols of authority and power. The sword also aims to show that the judiciary has the power to enforce laws created by parliament on behalf of society, and that all citizens (and government officials) are equally bound by the law. Unicode version 4.1.0 implemented a scale symbol at code point U+2696,[12] that can be used to represent the scales of justice.
Sword: This article symbolizes application and respect and means that the judiciary stands by its decision and decision and is able to act. The fact that the sword is unveiled and highly visible is a sign that justice is transparent and not a tool of fear.