🎯 Key Questions

• Is the legal system truly impartial?

• Does everyone receive equal treatment in court?

• Can “procedural justice” hide deep injustice?

⚖️ The Ideal of Blind Justice

The image of Lady Justice, blindfolded and holding a scale, is one of the most enduring symbols of fairness in Western law. Her blindfold is meant to show impartiality—that justice is not influenced by race, wealth, gender, or power.

But is that how courts work in real life?

🕳️ Cracks in the System

In theory, every person is “innocent until proven guilty.” In practice:

• Public defenders are overworked and underfunded, especially for the poor.

• Wealthy defendants can hire top-tier legal teams and often get reduced sentences—or avoid trial altogether.

• Race, gender, language ability, and even clothing can influence a jury’s perception.

• Mandatory minimums and plea bargains often pressure innocent people into pleading guilty.

These problems are not rare exceptions. They are features of a system that was not designed for everyone equally.

🧠 Thought Experiment

Imagine two people commit the exact same crime:

• One is a rich business executive.

• One is a poor immigrant with limited English.

They both appear in court.

Do you expect the outcome to be the same?

If not, why not?

And what does that tell us about the legal system?

📚 Historical & Modern Context

Courts have historically upheld unjust systems—slavery, segregation, discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, unequal treatment of women. Even today, court decisions may reinforce unequal status quo.

The doctrine of “judicial neutrality” can become a mask for structural bias—bias embedded not in individuals, but in rules, traditions, and funding systems.

🗣️ Discussion Prompts

• Have you or someone you know ever experienced unfair treatment in court or by law enforcement?

• Should judges have more discretion—or less?

• Is equal access to lawyers a civil right?

🔍 Case Study (Optional)

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963):

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people accused of crimes have the right to an attorney, even if they can’t afford one.

But has this right truly been fulfilled today?

🧭 Closing Reflection

If justice is not blind, what would it take to make it so?

Does fairness require more laws, better judges, stronger institutions—or a different kind of system altogether?

🔁 Next Lesson Preview

📘 Lesson 2 – Wealth and Punishment: Can the Poor Afford Justice?

We’ll explore how income level can determine not just how people live—but how they’re punished.

“The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.”

— Anatole France