Nemo iudex in causa sua

In which the curmudgeonly old sod puts the world to rights.

Index — Click ᐅ to expand: The Devil’s Advocate

Tell me more Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

Nemo iudex in causa sua
ˈnɛməʊ judɛks ɪn kaʊzɑː sjuɑː ('.)
“You would say that” in Latin.

In French, “Quelle surprise”.

Usually an entreaty in favour of natural justice, laying down the principle that a person who is asked to arbitrate a dispute must not have an interest in the cause of action, the same applies, with exasperated feeling, to those who self-righteously complain about wrongs done to a constituency of which they are a paid-up member.

The alternative is known as “democracy”. Here, a person is entitled to pass upon any prevailing issues of the day, precisely on the assumption that he has a personal interest in it, and will necessarily vote in furtherance of that interest.

What a world we live in.