Justice vs. Law

In late March, former media celebrity Jian Ghomeshi was found not guilty of various sex offences, to the chagrin of many.  The decision provoked protests.  If the trial trial produced any good it was to emphasize once again the difference between law and justice.

Law is a process whose application may or may not produce justice.  We do not have courts of justice, but courts of law, supported and occasionally restricted by arcane rules of procedure.  A practitioner of law should not be styled as Justice Judge Smith, rather Law Judge Smith.  A Minister of Justice in the government is a Minister of Law.

Justice by definition is never flawed, only denied at times in a court of law.  These objective descriptions would help the protesting public to understand the sometimes bizarre judgements rendered by a court.