# Justice Is Blind - Your Interpretation?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-is-blind-your-interpretation/8179>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 6, 2000, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-is-blind-your-interpretation/8179 "2000-03-06T14:06:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2000, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-is-blind-your-interpretation/8179/1 "2000-03-06T14:06:00Z")

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Some people use this to mean justice is supposedly impartial, and some people use this phrase when in disagreement with a court decision (like the ump is blind). What was originally meant by this phrase?

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“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV

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**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2000, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-is-blind-your-interpretation/8179/2 "2000-03-06T15:11:00Z")

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Ever see that statue of the lady holding scales? She’s wearing a blindfold. The idea is that justice should be blind, meaning impartial.

I’ve never heard of anyone thinking this phrase means that a judge has made a bad call. But then, I don’t get out much.

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**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2000, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-is-blind-your-interpretation/8179/3 "2000-03-06T15:16:00Z")

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The phrase is meant to indicate that only the evidence, not the parties presenting it, will influence the decision. As pointed out above, this is why the lady with the scales is blindfolded; only the decision of the scales matters.

- Rick

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**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2000, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-is-blind-your-interpretation/8179/4 "2000-03-06T16:23:00Z")

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By the way, Justice’s other hand usually holds a sword. She’s a cruel mistress.

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**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-is-blind-your-interpretation/8179/5 "2000-03-06T17:04:00Z")

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They would like you to think it was but we all know that bribes, biases Etc make it far from that. It should be deaf, too, in a perfect world,it would be but then everyone would be responsible for their own actions & we would not need the court.

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2000, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-is-blind-your-interpretation/8179/6 "2000-03-06T17:47:00Z")

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I figured as much, but people can twist the original meaning of just about anything.

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“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV