Bench Lessons 6: Justice Delayed

Justice delayed is justice denied.

This well-used quotation is attributed to the great Liberal statesman, William Gladstone, though he may have been paraphrasing a line from the Jewish Talmud: ‘When justice sleeps, justice is cancelled’. I suspect the concept, if not the maxim, if older still, for it is common sense. The dragging of judicial feet means that the guilty remain unpunished for longer and the victim still awaits vindication.

English magistrates’ courts are notoriously slow. Solicitors seem to revel in seeking adjournments so that court clerks advise Benches that the default response should be a refusal. Papers not ready, witnesses unwell, defendants unavailable, prosecutors double-booked, evidence not served and so on. And that is on top of the existing and inevitable delays of listing and allowing the parties time to prepare their cases. The magistrates themselves, not being lawyers, require additional explanation and support which a qualified judge would not. I recall one incident in the autumn of 2023 when I simply let all the defendants walk free at 12 noon. The police had, for the third week running, failed to provide charge papers for those they had arrested and detained; the previous week they had arrived at 3pm when they should have been there by 9am. If there is no charge, the state has no right to detain, so off they went. Although it was good news for them, it may not have been celebrated by those they had allegedly harmed.

Despite the truth of my opening statement, we Christians know that God’s justice is also delayed, but not denied. For thousands of years, He has let Man’s rebellion rumble on, staying His arm and biding His wrath. One by one, however, we slip away into eternity, to await the judgement we so very much deserve. Thank God, the Christian’s punishment was spent on Christ and a just God’s perfectly deserved vengeance cannot touch him. During this apparent period of delay, we espy grace also, which we may define as compassion or unmerited favour. To all who come to Him, deeply sorry and desiring change, He forgives and restores, for His Son has taken the blame and borne the blows.

'Tis finished! All my guilt and pain,
I want no sacrifice beside;
for me, for me the Lamb is slain,
'tis finished! I am justified.

Saved from the le­gal curse I am,
My Sav­iour hangs on yon­der tree:
See there the meek, ex­pir­ing Lamb!
’Tis fin­ished! He ex­pires for me.

-Charles Wesley, 1762

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