BLIND JUSTICE IS NOT ALWAYS BLIND

Statutes of the goddess of justice always show her wearing a blindfold and holding up the scales of justice. She wears a blindfold because justice is not supposed to care if one of the people in front of her is ugly, has dark skin, is female, is gay. Justice is blind to everything except the rule of law.

'To Kill a Mockingbird' tells a story of justice that only saw skin color.

This happens more than one would think. It even happens in countries like the US, where we work very hard to make justice blind.

Often, I know the law is on my side, but I worry about winning because my client is Black, or is a felon, or is gay, or is an immigrant. I know that judges's attitudes reflect the attitudes of the rest of us. Too many of us believe immigrants, especially Mexican immigrants, are not really equal to the rest of us. Too many of us believe that gay people are immoral and decadent. Too many of us believe that women are not capable of making their own decisions.

Too often, justice reflects those beliefs.

I am SO PROUD of the people who keep justice blind. Keeping justice blind is REALLY HARD. It is so easy to find an obscure law which results in a win for the person who looks like the judge.