wikipedia
English
Etymology
First attested w:1853|1853 in a Texas context, possibly from the notion of proceeding by leaps or because the kangaroo's appearance defies nature.
Noun
en-noun|sg=kangaroo court
- idiom A judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding, or a group which conducts such proceedings, which is without proper authority, abusive, or otherwise unjust.
Quotations
timeline|
1800s=1856|
1900s=1933|
2000s=2003
1856, Alfred W. Arrington, The Rangers and Regulators of the Tanaha, or, Life Among the Lawless: A tale of the republic of Texas., R.M. DeWitt? (New York), p. 247,
:Sol Tuttle interposed, "Don't you let nobody hev any witnesses in this kangaroo court?"
1933, "The New Pictures: ''M'' by Fritz Lang," Time, 10 Apr.,
:They take him off to face their kangaroo court in the cellar of a deserted brewery.
2003, David Glazier, "Kangaroo Court or Competent Tribunal?: Judging the 21st Century Military Commission," Virginia Law Review, vol. 89, no. 8, p. 2093,
:A military commission trial falling short of the full UCMJ standard is all but certain to be pejoratively judged as a "kangaroo court" in the court of public opinion.
See also
lynching
show trial
Category:English nouns
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