justice

justice

just·ice [justice justices]   [ˈdʒʌstɪs]    [ˈdʒʌstɪs]  noun
1. uncountable the fair treatment of people
• laws based on the principles of justice
• They are demanding equal rights and justice.
Opp:  injustice 

see also  poetic justice, rough justice

2. uncountable the quality of being fair or reasonable
• Who can deny the justice of their cause?
• He demanded, not without justice, that he should be allowed to express his views.

Opp:  injustice

3. uncountable the legal system used to punish people who have committed crimes
• the criminal justice system
• The European Court of Justice
• (BrE) They were accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
• (NAmE) They were accused of attempting to obstruct justice.

see also  miscarriage of justice

4. (also Just·ice) countable (NAmE) a judge in a court (also used before the name of a judge)

see also  chief justice

5. Just·ice countable (BrE, CanE) used before the name of a judge in a court of appeal
• Mr Justice Davies
more at pervert the course of justice at  pervert  _v.
Idioms: bring somebody to justice ▪ do justice to somebody do somebody justice ▪ do yourself justice  
Word Origin:
late Old English iustise ‘administration of the law’, via Old French from Latin justitia, from justus, from jus ‘law, right’.  
Culture:
the legal system
In Britain, for historical reasons, the system of law used in Scotland is different from that in England and Wales, with the law in Northern Ireland similar to that in England. When making decisions Scottish courts look for an appropriate general principle and apply it to a particular situation. English law relies on case law, a collection of previous decisions, called precedents. English courts look at precedents for the case being tried and make a similar judgement. A basic principle of law in Britain is that anyone accused is innocent until proven guilty, so it is the job of the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant (= the person accused) has broken the law as stated in the charge. If this cannot be proved the person must be acquitted (= allowed to go free, with no blame attached).
British law is divided into civil law which concerns disagreements between individuals about matters such as business contracts, and criminal law which deals with offences that involve harm to a person resulting from somebody breaking the law. In civil cases, the plaintiff (= the person who claims to have been wronged) brings an action against the defendant in the hope of winning damages (= a financial payment) or an injunction (= a court order preventing the defendant from doing something). Criminal cases are brought against criminals by the state, in England and Wales by the Director of Public Prosecutions and in Scotland through procurators fiscal.
In England and Wales most towns have a Magistrates' Court where minor cases are judged and more serious cases are passed to higher courts by three magistrates called Justices of the Peace, specially trained members of the public. The more serious cases are heard in a Crown Court by a judge and a jury. Minor civil cases, such as divorce and bankruptcy, are heard in the county courts and more serious ones in the High Court of Justice. Appeals against decisions from the Crown Court or the High Court go to the Court of Appeal and a few cases, where a question of law is in doubt, are passed to the House of Lords.
In Scotland, criminal cases are heard in District Courts by members of the public called lay justices. More serious cases go to regional sheriff courts and are heard by the sheriff and a jury. Appeals go to the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh. Civil cases begin in the sheriff court and may go on appeal to the Court of Session.
In the US, the judicial system is one of the three branches of the federal government, but the legal system operates at many levels with state, county and city courts as well as federal courts. The right to trial by jury is provided by the Constitution. Each type of court has its own jurisdiction, that is it deals with certain kinds of cases. Both civil and criminal cases are first heard in trial courts and there is a right to appeal against the court’s decision in a court of appeals. Many states have family courts where people get divorced and small claims courts which deal with small amounts of money. States also have trial courts, which hear a wider range of cases, and courts of appeal called superior courts or district courts. Most states have a supreme court where the most serious appeals are held. States have their own criminal code, but some crimes are federal offences, i.e. against federal law, and crimes may fall under federal jurisdiction if more than one state is involved.
Most courts have only one judge, but some higher courts have several. In the US Supreme Court, the nine judges are called justices. The people on either side of a case are represented by lawyers, also called attorneys-at-law. In a criminal trial the defendant is represented by a defense attorney, or if he or she is too poor to pay a lawyer, the court will appoint a public defender. The prosecution is led by an assistant district attorney or, in federal cases, by a federal attorney. 
Thesaurus:
justice noun U
• Our laws must be based on principles of justice.
fairness • • fair play • • equality • |formal equity •
Opp: injustice
justice/fairness/fair play/equality/equity for sb
social/economic justice/fairness/equality/equity
ensure justice/fairness/fair play/equality/equity
guarantee justice/fairness/equality/equity 
Collocations:
Criminal justice
Breaking the law
break/violate/obey/uphold the law
be investigated/arrested/tried for a crime/a robbery/fraud
be arrested/ (especially NAmE) indicted/convicted on charges of rape/fraud/(especially US) felony charges
be arrested on suspicion of arson/robbery/shoplifting
be accused of/be charged with murder/(especially NAmE) homicide/four counts of fraud
face two charges of indecent assault
admit your guilt/liability/responsibility (for sth)
deny the allegations/claims/charges
confess to a crime
grant/be refused/be released on/skip/jump bail
The legal process
stand/await/bring sb to/come to/be on trial
take sb to/come to/settle sth out of court
face/avoid/escape prosecution
seek/retain/have the right to/be denied access to legal counsel
hold/conduct/attend/adjourn a hearing/trial
sit on/influence/persuade/convince the jury
sit/stand/appear/be put/place sb in the dock
plead guilty/not guilty to a crime
be called to/enter (BrE) the witness box
take/put sb on the stand/(NAmE) the witness stand
call/subpoena/question/cross-examine a witness
give/hear the evidence against/on behalf of sb
raise/withdraw/overrule an objection
reach a unanimous/majority verdict
return/deliver/record a verdict of not guilty/unlawful killing/accidental death
convict/acquit the defendant of the crime
secure a conviction/your acquittal
lodge/file an appeal
appeal (against)/challenge/uphold/overturn a conviction/verdict
Sentencing and punishment
pass sentence on sb
carry/face/serve a seven-year/life sentence
receive/be given the death penalty
be sentenced to ten years (in prison/jail)
carry/impose/pay a fine (of $3 000)/a penalty (of 14 years imprisonment)
be imprisoned/jailed for drug possession/fraud/murder
do/serve time/ten years
be sent to/put sb in/be released from jail/prison
be/put sb/spend X years on death row
be granted/be denied/break (your) parole
more collocations at crime  
Example Bank:
• Civilians were not subject to summary justice.
• He saw it as rough justice when he got food poisoning from the stolen meat.
• He spent twenty years in prison as a result of a miscarriage of justice.
• Justice must be done in every case.
• Maybe there's a sort of poetic justice to it.
• Restorative justice can only work when all parties agree.
• She was charged with perverting the course of justice after admitting to burning vital evidence.
• So far the robbers have escaped justice.
• Some people saw the epidemic as divine justice.
• Somebody out there needs to make sure justice is served.
• The teacher's system of punishments appealed to the children's sense of justice.
• They saw the reform proposals as a way to promote social justice.
• They were accused of attempting to obstruct justice.
• They were accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
• We have been denied justice for too long.
• the battle for Taylor to face justice before the High Court
• the deadliest episode of vigilante justice in American history
• those who are ultimately responsible for dispensing justice
• victims seeking retributive justice
• Children often have a highly developed sense of justice.
• Our laws must be based on the principles of justice.
• Sometimes I feel that there's no justice in the world.
• They're demanding equal rights and social justice.

• We will not get social order until we have economic justice.