Aside from judges, lawyers, and defendants, Lady Justice is a common sight in courthouses and other legal institutions across the globe. She is depicted as a mature woman, usually holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other and wearing Greco-Roman clothing. All of these aspects are important to Lady Justice becoming a symbol for the fair administration of law and justice that we aspire to have in our society. A woman was chosen to pay homage to the Roman goddess of justice, Justitia, who also was blindfolded and carried a sword and scales ("Justitia | Roman Mythology"). Lady Justice's toga represents civilization and philosophy. The scales date back to Egyptian mythology, where Anubis would weigh the heart of the deceased against The Feather of Truth, to determine the fate of the soul (Cass).
The meaning of the scales has been modernized to symbolize weighing the evidence presented for/against the defendant to determine their guilt or innocence. The sword historically represented authority but today signifies how swift and final justice can be. Lady Justice is sometimes portrayed wearing a blindfold, only letting the facts on her scale determine the outcome. This falls in line with the philosophy that justice should be delivered without passion or prejudice. This is not always the case however....