Lady Justice#Depiction
{{short description|Personification of justice}}
{{for|the British judicial office holders|Lady Justice of Appeal}}
{{redirect|Justitia}}
File:HK Central Statue Square Legislative Council Building n Themis s.jpg, Hong Kong]]
Lady Justice ({{langx|la|Iustitia}}) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.{{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=Marci |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ox4_vqFCjcEC&dq=%22lady+justice%22+symbol&pg=PA296 296] |title=God vs. the Gavel |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2005 |quote=The symbol of the judicial system, seen in courtrooms throughout the United States, is blindfolded Lady Justice.}}{{cite book |last=Fabri |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwH0F8iC9QC&dq=%22lady+justice%22+symbol&pg=PA137 137] |title=The challenge of change for judicial systems |publisher=IOS Press |date=2000 |quote=the judicial system is intended to be apolitical, its symbol being that of a blindfolded Lady Justice holding a balanced scales.}} 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,{{cite encyclopedia |entry-url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/iustitia_(Enciclopedia-dell'-Arte-Antica)/ |entry=IUSTITIA |title=Enciclopedia dell' Arte Antica |date=1961 |first=W |last=Köhler |lang=it}} who is equivalent to the Greek goddess Themis.{{cn|date=March 2025}}
The goddess Justitia
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 {{lang|la|clipeus virtutis}}, and a temple of Justitia was established in Rome by emperor Tiberius. 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.
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|date=May 2024}}
Depiction
File:The Weighing of the Heart.svg depicts a scene in which a deceased person's heart is weighed against the feather of truth.]]
The personification of justice balancing the scales dates back to the goddess Maat,{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/guidetoamericanl11west/page/686 |title=The Guide to American Law : Everyone's Legal Encyclopedia. |date=1983 |publisher=West Publishing Company |isbn=0314732241 |volume=11 |location=St. Paul [Minn.] |pages=687 |chapter=Appendix D: Legal Symbols of the Anglo-American Legal Tradition |oclc=9196541}} 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.
=Scales=
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.[https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/SymbolsofLawInfoSheet%209-28-2015_Final.pdf Supreme Court 'Symbols of Law' Information Sheet]
The Greek goddess Dike is depicted holding a set of scales:
{{blockquote|If some god had been holding level the balance of Dike (Justice).|source=Bacchylides, Fragment 5 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric IV) (Greek lyric {{Circa|5th B.C.}})}}
=Blindfold=
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,Manderson, Desmond. [https://lawjournal.mcgill.ca/article/blind-justice/ Blind Justice] (2020) 66:1 McGill LJ 5 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.See "The Scales of Justice as Represented in Engravings, Emblems, Reliefs and Sculptures of Early Modern Europe" in G. Lamoine, ed., Images et representations de la justice du XVie au XIXe siècle (Toulouse: University of Toulose-Le Mirail, 1983)" at page 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.Image of Lady Justice in Berne.
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;Image of Lady Justice in London. 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.Colomb, Gregory. [https://books.google.com/books?id=trgG0BAQ4xkC&dq=Justice+and++%22without+a+blindfold%22&pg=PA50 Designs on Truth], p. 50 (Penn State Press, 1992). 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.Image of Lady Justice in Memphis.
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".{{Cite news |title=Law is not blind: No blindfold for Supreme Court's new Lady Justice statue, that now holds Constitution in place of sword |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/law-is-not-blind-no-blindfold-for-supreme-courts-new-lady-justice-statue-that-now-holds-constitution-in-place-of-sword/articleshow/114299260.cms |access-date=2024-10-18 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}
=Sword=
The sword represented authority in ancient times, and conveys the idea that justice can be swift and final.{{cite web |url=http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/symbolism-lady-justice-8578.html|title=Symbolism of Lady Justice |first=Brent T. |last=Edwards |series=Our Everyday Life |access-date=24 February 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906224102/http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/symbolism-lady-justice-8578.html |archive-date=2016-09-06}} In India, as noted above, the sword is replaced by a book representing the constitution.
=Toga=
The Greco-Roman garment symbolizes the status of the philosophical attitude that embodies justice.{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2017}}
=In computer systems=
{{infobox symbol
|name= Scales
| mark = ⚖
|unicode = {{unichar|2696|Scales|html=}}
|see also =
}}
Unicode version 4.1.0 implemented a scales symbol at code point U+2696,{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/4.1.0/ucd/UnicodeData.txt|title=Unicode Data-4.1.0|access-date=2020-09-28}} that may be used to represent the scales of justice.
{{Clear}}
In art
=Sculpture=
File:Berner Iustitia.jpg|Lady Justice with sword, scales and blindfold on the Gerechtigkeits{{shy}}brunnen in Bern, Switzerland, 1543
File:Pediment courthouse, Rome, Italy.jpg|Lady Justice seated at the entrance of The Palace of Justice, Rome, Italy
File:Frankfurt Am Main-Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen-Detail-Justitia von Westen-20110408.jpg|Sculpture of Lady Justice on the {{Interlanguage link|Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen (Frankfurt)|de|Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen (Frankfurt am Main)|lt=Gerechtigkeits{{shy}}brunnen}} in Frankfurt, Germany
File:Delft 137 (cropped).jpg|Justitia on the Delft City Hall, the Netherlands
File:Justicia Ottawa.jpg|Justitia, outside the Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
File:Statue of Justice, Central Criminal Court, London, UK - 20030311.jpg|The Central Criminal Court or Old Bailey, London, UK
File:Itojyuku themis.jpg|Themis, Itojyuku, Shibuya-ku, Japan
File:Justice statue.jpg|19th-century sculpture of the Power of Law at Olomouc, Czech Republic—lacks the blindfold and scales of Justice, replacing the latter with a book
File:Goddess of justice.jpg|Themis, outside the Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
File:Fronton oud gerechtsgebouw, Gent.jpg|Themis, Old courthouse, Ghent, Belgium
File:Justice Statue Iran.jpg|Justitia, Tehran courthouse, Tehran, Iran
File:Campinas, detalhe do Palácio da Justiça.jpg|Justiça, high-relief in front of Justice Palace, Campinas, Brazil
File:Carl Spitzweg - Das Auge des Gesetzes (Justitia) - 1857.jpg|Justitia, Carl Spitzweg, 1857
File:Rīga 05 (cropped).jpg|Lady Justice on the Riga Town Hall, Latvia
File:Law place du Palais-Bourbon Paris.jpg|The Law, by Jean Feuchère, Paris, France
File:JMR-Memphis1.jpg|Lady Justice at the Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee
File:A Justica Alfredo Ceschiatti Brasilia Brasil.jpg|The Justice, in front of the Supreme Court of Brazil
File:Justitia szobra a Kúria épületében.jpg|Justitia in the Superior Courts Building in Budapest, Hungary{{cite journal |last1=Takács |first1=Peter |title=Statues of Lady Justice in Hungary: Representation of Justitia in town halls, courthouses, and other public spaces |url=http://www.clovekaspolocnost.sk/UserFiles/article/files/157501779302-takacs.pdf |journal=Človek a Spoločnost |location=Győr, Hungary |publisher=Széchenyi István University |issn=1335-3608}}
File:Statue of Justice.jpg|Lady Justice in Bauchi State High Court, Nigeria
File:Statue of Justice, Bangladesh.png|Statue of Lady Justice at the premises of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh
=Painting=
File:Sala di costantino, giustizia.jpg|Fresco in the {{Interlanguage link|Sala di Costantino|it}}, Raphael Rooms, Raphael, {{circa|1520}}
File:Luca Giordano 013.jpg|Luca Giordano, Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, 1684–1686
File:Gerechtigkeit-1537.jpg|Gerechtigkeit, Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1537
Heraldry
Lady Justice and her symbols are used in heraldry, especially in the arms and seals of legal government agencies.
DEU Ilshofen COA.svg|Justitia in arms of Ilshofen in Baden-Württemberg
Svea hovrätt vapen.svg|Scales and sword in the arms of a Swedish court of law
Hörby kommunvapen - Riksarkivet Sverige.png|Scales balanced on a sword in the arms of Hörby
Landskrona fulla vapen.svg|Prudentia and Justitia as supporters in the armorial achievement of Landskrona
File:US-Fractional (3rd Issue)-$0.50-Fr.1355.jpg|Justice holding scales, $0.50 U.S. fractional currency
See also
=Astronomy=
- 5 Astraea, 24 Themis, 99 Dike and 269 Justitia, main belt asteroids all named for Astraea, Themis, Dike and Justitia, Classical goddesses of justice.
=Notable programs=
- "Operation Lady Justice (Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives)
=In fiction=
- Judge Anderson, a female fictional law enforcer and psychic appearing in the British science fiction comics 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine.
- The Judge From Hell, a Korean legal drama featuring a female fictional judge possessed by demon judge Justitia {{cite web |last1=Conran |first1=Pierce |title=In Disney+ K-drama The Judge from Hell, Park Shin-hye lords over court with devilish charm |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3279630/disney-k-drama-judge-hell-park-shin-hye-lords-over-court-devilish-charm?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article |website=South China Morning Post |date=23 September 2024 |access-date=8 October 2024}}
= In popular culture =
- Metallica, a popular American heavy metal band, used an illustrated depiction of a cracked, rope-bound Lady Justice for their studio album ...And Justice for All.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Iustitia}}
- [https://www.justice.gov/about/doj-seal-history-and-motto DOJ Seal - History and Motto] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115095830/https://www.justice.gov/about/doj-seal-history-and-motto |date=2017-11-15 }})
{{Roman religion}}
{{National personifications}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Justice}}