Painterly wooden gavel beside small brass balance scales on a dark mahogany surface.

Original artwork, not a still

Sententiae

Publilius Syrus

The judge is condemned when the criminal is acquitted.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

This maxim argues that a court's failure is its own indictment. When a guilty person walks free, the one who judged is morally judged in turn, because letting wrongdoing go unpunished damages the integrity of whoever holds the responsibility to decide fairly.

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