KANGAROO COURT Definition & Meaning

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kangaroo court

noun

a self-appointed or mob-operated tribunal that disregards or parodies existing principles of law or human rights, especially one in a frontier area or among criminals in prison.
any crudely or irregularly operated court, especially one so controlled as to render a fair trial impossible.

kangaroo court

noun

an irregular court, esp one set up by prisoners in a jail or by strikers to judge strikebreakers

kangaroo court

A court that ignores principles of justice; a court characterized by incompetence and dishonesty.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of kangaroo court¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

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Idioms and Phrases

A self-appointed tribunal that violates established legal procedure; also, a dishonest or incompetent court of law. For example, The rebels set up a kangaroo court and condemned the prisoners to summary execution , or That judge runs a kangaroo court—he tells rape victims they should have been more careful . This expression is thought to liken the jumping ability of kangaroos to a court that jumps to conclusions on an invalid basis. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

The court was urged to take into consideration that Mr McGregor had posted a series of social media posts after the verdict, in which he described the court as a "kangaroo court".

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But Brig Kulayigye said the court martial "is not a kangaroo court".

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Banana republics drag their opponents into kangaroo courts.

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The trial was “a kangaroo court,” he added.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis compared the process to a “kangaroo court”.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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