Lady Justice (Latin : Iustitia) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. [1] [2] Her attributes are scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia.
Lady Justice originates from the personification of Justice in Ancient Roman art known as Iustitia or Justitia, [3] who is equivalent to the Greek goddess Thémis. [4]
The origin of Lady Justice was Justitia (or Iustitia), the goddess of Justice within Roman mythology. Justitia was introduced by emperor Augustus, and was thus not a very old deity in the Roman pantheon.
Justice was one of the virtues celebrated by emperor Augustus in his clipeus virtutis , and a temple of Justitia was established in Rome by emperor Tiberius. [3] Justitia became a symbol for the virtue of justice with which every emperor wished to associate his regime; emperor Vespasian minted coins with the image of the goddess seated on a throne called Iustitia Augusta, and many emperors after him used the image of the goddess to proclaim themselves protectors of justice. [3]
Though formally called a goddess with her own temple and cult shrine in Rome, it appears that she was from the onset viewed more as an artistic symbolic personification rather than as an actual deity with religious significance. [ citation needed ]
The personification of justice balancing the scales dates back to the goddess Maat, [5] and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later goddesses of justice. Themis was the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom, in her aspect as the personification of the divine rightness of law.
Lady Justice is often depicted with a set of scales, typically suspended from one hand, upon which she balances the relative substance and value (i.e. the 'weight') of the available evidence and arguments on both sides of any bilateral dispute. The scales can therefore 'tip in favour' of either side, and justice, in terms of the metaphor, can be enacted upon seeing the result. [6]
The Greek goddess Dike is depicted holding a set of scales:
If some god had been holding level the balance of Dike (Justice).
Since the 16th century, Lady Justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold was originally a satirical addition intended to show Justice as blind to the injustice carried on before her, [7] but it has been reinterpreted over time and is now understood to represent impartiality, the ideal that justice should be applied without regard to wealth, power, or other status. The earliest Roman coins depicted Justitia with the sword in one hand and the scale in the other, but with her eyes uncovered. [8] Justitia was only commonly represented as "blind" since the middle of the 16th century. The first known representation of blind Justice is Hans Gieng's 1543 statue on the Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen (Fountain of Justice) in Bern. [9]
Instead of using the Janus approach, many sculptures simply leave out the blindfold altogether. For example, atop the Old Bailey courthouse in London, a statue of Lady Justice stands without a blindfold; [10] the courthouse brochures explain that this is because Lady Justice was originally not blindfolded, and because her "maidenly form" is supposed to guarantee her impartiality which renders the blindfold redundant. [11] Another variation is to depict a blindfolded Lady Justice as a human scale, weighing competing claims in each hand. An example of this can be seen at the Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee. [12]
In October 2024, the Supreme Court of India announced a new template for statues of Lady Justice for use in India. Henceforth, the blindfold will not be used and the sword is replaced by a book representing the constitution. Announcing the change, the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud declared that "the law is not blind, it sees everyone equally". [13]
The sword represented authority in ancient times, and conveys the idea that justice can be swift and final. [14] In India, as noted above, the sword is replaced by a book representing the constitution.
The Greco-Roman garment symbolizes the status of the philosophical attitude that embodies justice. [14] [ unreliable source? ]
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Scales | |
In Unicode | U+2696⚖SCALES |
Unicode version 4.1.0 implemented a scales symbol at code point U+2696, [15] that may be used to represent the scales of justice.
Lady Justice and her symbols are used in heraldry, especially in the arms and seals of legal government agencies.
Gods of Justice
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Astraea, also spelled Astrea or Astria, is a daughter of Astraeus and Eos. She is the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity, and precision. She is closely associated with the Greek goddess of justice, Dike, the daughter of Zeus and Themis. Astraea is not to be confused with Asteria, the goddess of the stars and the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe.
In Greek mythology and religion, Themis is the goddess and personification of justice, divine order, law, and custom. She is one of the twelve Titan children of Gaia and Uranus, and the second wife of Zeus. She is associated with oracles and prophecies, including the Oracle of Delphi. Her symbol is the Scales of Justice.
In Greek mythology, the Horae, Horai or Hours were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time.
Aequitas is the Latin concept of justice, equality, conformity, symmetry, or fairness. It is the origin of the English word "equity". In ancient Rome, it could refer to either the legal concept of equity, or fairness between individuals.
In Roman mythology and ancient religion, Clementia is the goddess of clemency, leniency, mercy, forgiveness, penance, redemption, absolution, acquittal and salvation.
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis also called Rhamnousia, was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris; arrogance before the gods.
The concept of liberty has frequently been represented by personifications, often loosely shown as a female classical goddess. Examples include Marianne, the national personification of the French Republic and its values of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, and the female Liberty portrayed in artworks, on United States coins beginning in 1793, and many other depictions. These descend from images on ancient Roman coins of the Roman goddess Libertas and from various developments from the Renaissance onwards. The Dutch Maiden was among the first, re-introducing the cap of liberty on a liberty pole featured in many types of image, though not using the Phrygian cap style that became conventional. The 1886 Statue of Liberty by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi is a well-known example in art, a gift from France to the United States.
In Greek mythology, Ichnaea (Ikhnaia), "the tracker" was an epithet that could be applied to Themis, as in the Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo, or to Nemesis, who was venerated at Ichnae, a Greek city in Macedon.
The Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, often simply called the "Old Courthouse," was once the center of Vanderburgh County, Indiana government. Construction started in the spring of 1888 and was completed in November 1890. The building was ready to be occupied by the county government in early 1891. It sits in the heart of downtown Evansville.
Libra (♎︎) is the seventh astrological sign in the zodiac. It spans 180°–210° celestial longitude. The Sun transits this sign on average between September 22 and October 23. The symbol of the scales is based on the Scales of Justice held by Themis, the Greek personification of divine law and custom. She became the inspiration for modern depictions of Lady Justice. The ruling planet of Libra is Venus along with Taurus. Libra is the only zodiac sign that is represented by an object; the other eleven signs are represented by either an animal or a mythological character though some depictions feature a man holding the scales with his hands.
In Greek mythology, Dike or Dice is the goddess of justice and the spirit of moral order and fair judgement as a transcendent universal ideal or based on immemorial custom, in the sense of socially enforced norms and conventional rules. According to Hesiod, she was fathered by Zeus upon his second consort, Themis. She and her mother are both personifications of justice. She is depicted as a young, slender woman carrying a balance scale and wearing a laurel wreath. The constellation Libra was anciently thought to represent her distinctive symbol.
In Greek mythology, Adicia or Adikia was the goddess and personification of injustice and wrong-doing.
The Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen is a 16th-century fountain in the Gerechtigkeitsgasse in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. It is the only Bernese fountain to retain all original design elements, and is listed as a cultural heritage of national significance.
In Greek mythology, Eunomia was a minor but important goddess of law and legislation and her name can be translated as "good order", "governance according to good laws", as well as the spring-time goddess of green pastures. She is by most accounts the daughter of Themis and Zeus. Her opposite number was Dysnomia (Lawlessness).
In Latin, invidia is the sense of envy, a "looking upon" associated with the evil eye, from invidere, "to look against, to look in a hostile manner." Invidia ("Envy") is one of the Seven Deadly Sins in Christian belief.
In ancient Athens, Eleos or Elea was the personification of mercy, clemency, compassion and pity – the counterpart of the Roman goddess Clementia. Pausanias described her as "among all the gods the most useful to human life in all its vicissitudes."
In Greek mythology, Soteria was the goddess or spirit (daimon) of safety and salvation, deliverance, and preservation from harm. Soteria was also an epithet of the goddesses Persephone and Hecate, meaning deliverance and safety.
Angel of Justice may refer to:
Bangladesh Statue of Justice controversy is a controversy that surrounds the building of a statue of justice at the premises of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. The controversy centers on the statue's depiction of the Themis, the Greek goddess of divine law, wearing a sari. Islamic groups like Hefazat-e-Islam and Bangladesh Awami Olama League consider the statue to be idolatry and have taken legal actions calling for its removal.
Nyay Ki Devi is a new symbolic statue of justice unveiled at the Supreme Court of India.The statue is installed in the library of the judges in the Supreme Court. It is simply called Nyay Devi. It was installed on 16 October 2024.
The symbol of the judicial system, seen in courtrooms throughout the United States, is blindfolded Lady Justice.
the judicial system is intended to be apolitical, its symbol being that of a blindfolded Lady Justice holding a balanced scales.