(French) “right”; law; justice.
ETYM French, from Latin justitia, from justus just. Related to Just.
1. The administration of law; the act of determining rights and assigning rewards or punishments; SYN. judicature.
2. The quality of being just or fair; SYN. justness.
A goal of political activity and a subject of political inquiry since Plato. The term has been variously defined as fairness, equity, rightness, the equal distribution of resources, and positive discrimination in favor of underprivileged groups. It is most directly applied to the legal systems of states, and to decisions made by the recognized authorities within them.