kangaroo court
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A mock or illegitimate court: A "kangaroo court" is an unauthorized, irregular, or sham legal proceeding that disregards proper legal procedures and principles of justice. Its purpose is often to reach a predetermined, unjust outcome, such as a guilty verdict or a specific punishment.
Usage
The term is used to describe a proceeding that has the superficial appearance of a court but lacks its fairness, authority, or legitimacy. It strongly implies corruption, bias, and a denial of due process. - It functions as a countable noun (e.g., a kangaroo court, kangaroo courts). - It is typically used in a critical or condemnatory way.
Examples
- The prisoners held a kangaroo court to punish the accused thief without any evidence.
- Many observers denounced the trial as a kangaroo court, designed only to legitimize the dictator's decision.
- The employees felt the disciplinary hearing was a kangaroo court because they were not allowed to present their side of the story.
Advanced Usage
- Metaphorical Use: The term can be applied metaphorically to any process or forum that is blatantly unfair and rigged to produce a specific result, not just a judicial one.
- The committee's investigation was dismissed as a political kangaroo court.
Variants and Related Words
- Show trial (n): A public trial held for political purposes rather than to administer justice, often a type of kangaroo court.
- Star chamber (n): Historically, a secret English court; now used to describe any secretive, arbitrary, or unfair proceeding.
Synonyms
- Mock trial
- Sham court
- Illegal tribunal
Idioms and Fixed Phrases
- To be a kangaroo court: The standard formulation to label a proceeding as illegitimate.
- Without the right to a defense lawyer, it was clearly a kangaroo court.