Word.ws English Dictionary

palm tree justice

palm tree justice noun: a flexible, discretionary approach to legal decision making that prioritizes fairness in specific circumstances over strict adherence to legal precedents or rights.

Noun

palm tree justice (uncountable)

  1. (derogatory) A flexible, discretionary approach to legal decision making that prioritizes fairness in specific circumstances over strict adherence to legal precedents or rights.
    • […] vary agreed or established rights to property in an endeavor to achieve a kind of palm tree justice […]1965, National Provincial Bank v. Hastings Car Mart, [1965] 8. W.L.R. 1 at p. 11, per Lord Hodson

Origin of palm tree justice

According to the Chambers Dictionary (Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap, 1998) the phrase is “from the old Arabic or Jewish idea of a wise man dispensing justice under a palm tree.” Namely: And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. (Judges 4:5)

Questions about palm tree justice

What does palm tree justice mean?
Palm tree justice means a flexible, discretionary approach to legal decision making that prioritizes fairness in specific circumstances over strict adherence to legal precedents or rights.
What part of speech is palm tree justice?
Palm tree justice is a noun.

Words near palm tree justice in the dictionary

  1. palm syrup
  2. palm syrups
  3. palm thief
  4. palm thieves
  5. palm tree
  6. palm tree justice
  7. palm tree kale
  8. palm trees
  9. palm vinegar
  10. palm weevil
  11. palm weevils

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: palm tree justice (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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