Qui pro domina justitia sequitur

English translation: He who takes legal action on behalf of Lady Justice.

12:13 Aug 15, 2008
Latin to English translations [PRO]
Law (general)
Latin term or phrase: Qui pro domina justitia sequitur
This Latin (translated from English I guess) saying appears on the Seal of thr US Department of Justice.
Does it mean: the one who wants to rule must follow justice?
I found iustitia domina virtutem in a LatinEnglish dictionary. Is Justicia dog Latin compared to the classical iustitia.
Gad Kohenov
Israel
Local time: 15:48
English translation:He who takes legal action on behalf of Lady Justice.
Explanation:
I think what the Department of Justice web site has to say about this is completely clear (see http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/ls/dojseal.htm), although people do advance different interpretations with more or less grammatical rigor. There's a well-attested use of the expression before Queen Elizabeth I. Domina and iustitia (the j is a Late Latin/Medieval spelling) are both ablative after pro. I suspect, however, that the expression is not classical without lis as a direct object of sequor.

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Note added at 8 hrs (2008-08-15 20:57:34 GMT)
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Before here = 'in the presence of', not 'earlier than'.
Selected response from:

Stephen C. Farrand
United States
Local time: 09:48
Grading comment
Thanks to all of you.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +1He who takes legal action on behalf of Lady Justice.
Stephen C. Farrand
4 +1Who pursues justice for a mistress
Joseph Brazauskas
5Qui pro domina justitia sequitur
Max Cassidi
3He who pursues Lady Justice
Veronika McLaren


  

Answers


23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
He who pursues Lady Justice


Explanation:
Have you tried Google? There is some discussion as to exactly how to translate this maxim related to the administration of justice.

Veronika McLaren
Local time: 09:48
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/ls/dojseal.htm presents a very interesting discussion of this enigmatic maxim. He who pursuse justice in the name of our Lady (Queen Elizabeth I of England) seems a better answer, at least for the time being.

Asker: who prosecutes on behalf of justice (or the Lady Justice)."

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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Who pursues justice for a mistress


Explanation:
'Iustitia' (the classical spelling; j for consonantal i is Mediaeval) is pretty certainly a typo for acc. 'iustitiam', otherwise the whole is gibberish.

The preposition 'pro' sometimes has the force of a comparative particle, meaning 'for, as, the same as, just as'. Cf., e.g., Plautus, Stichus, 3.1.65: sese ducit pro adulescentulo; Cicero, ad Atticum, 2.5.1: Cato ille noster qui mihi unus est pro centum milibus; Pliny, Epistulae, 1.12.3: summa ratio, quae sapientibus pro necessitate est. For other examples of this nuance, see Lewis & Short and the Oxford Latin Dictionary s.v. pro.

Joseph Brazauskas
United States
Local time: 09:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 26

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Stephen C. Farrand: With Joseph's emendation to Justitiam, yes. But it's a dubious motto for the DOJ--surely one courts this blind lady through reason, not unbridled passion.
7 hrs
  -> My emendation was unwarranted.
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
He who takes legal action on behalf of Lady Justice.


Explanation:
I think what the Department of Justice web site has to say about this is completely clear (see http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/ls/dojseal.htm), although people do advance different interpretations with more or less grammatical rigor. There's a well-attested use of the expression before Queen Elizabeth I. Domina and iustitia (the j is a Late Latin/Medieval spelling) are both ablative after pro. I suspect, however, that the expression is not classical without lis as a direct object of sequor.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2008-08-15 20:57:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Before here = 'in the presence of', not 'earlier than'.


    Reference: http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/ls/dojseal.htm
Stephen C. Farrand
United States
Local time: 09:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks to all of you.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Joseph Brazauskas: You are absolutely correct.
34 mins
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3672 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Qui pro domina justitia sequitur


Explanation:
"He who prosecutes on behalf/in the name of Lady Justice"

Max Cassidi
United Kingdom
Native speaker of: Native in GreekGreek
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