JUSTICES' JUSTICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5998, 7 February 1881, Page 6

JUSTICES' JUSTICE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, Wo often hear the above phrase applied to the decisions of that much-maligned body of men who write J. P. after their names ; but some of the recent decisions of one of our paid magistrates would put the whole rota to the blush. Public men and, public acts are open to fair criticism; and legal decisions are, therefore, in that sense open to the expression of public opinion. As one of the Jinblic I would wish to protest against the ultra-chivalric rulings of the stipendiary referred to above. He seems to think that a woman can do no wrong w here of the opposite sex is concerned, a ? d invariably gives a decision in favour of the fair sex when he can do so without having his decision reversed- in a higher Court. Take, for instance, a few of the recent cases in the Police Court; a woman slaps a man s face in broad daylight, with scarcely any provocation. He summons her for assault, knowing he would be fined at least £5 if he slapped her back again; lie proves the assault by eye-witnesses, and the case is dismissed, each party to pay their own costs; so the poor fellow has to put up with having liis face slapped, and pay for the luxury (?) also. Again, a woman smashes a tumbler on a man's face, severely cutting it, and again the case is dismissed. Again, a woman takes advantage of her husband being in prison for using strong language while excited by her provocations, and obtains a protection order, by which she secures all i her husband's belongings to herself; and when he visits her after his release, and thinks that tilings are not as they should be, and expresses that opinion to her, gets bearded, insulted, and goaded to madness, and she then has him re-arrested for the same using of strong language while excited, and he is just sent to yaol again, because He cannot find the heavy securities demanded from him as guarantee that he will leave his wife and her ill-gotten gains alone in future. I could extend the above list ad infinitum, but the above will suffice at present. On the other hand, the slightest thing that can be construed into .an assault by a man or a woman, no matter under what provocation, is visited by the heaviest penalties possible. I do not complain of that, but let us have fair-play. An assault is an assault irrespective of sex, and what is sauce for tbe goose 13 sauce for the gander. Tn theory, law and justice know no distinction of rank and sex, therefore, justice is represented as blind. Surely in view of the above recent decisions, colonial justice must be able to peep under the bandaye over her eyes, and it wants readjusting. In theory, too, law and justice go together, but they have latterly often seemed to be divorced a inensa et thoro.— 1 am > Censor.