Ubi non est justitia, ibi non potest esse jus
“Where there is no justice, there can be no law.”
Legal maxim
What does “Ubi non est justitia, ibi non potest esse jus” mean?
Ubi non est justitia, ibi non potest esse jus translates as “Where there is no justice, there can be no law.”
Law that has lost all connection with justice is not truly law. Rules exist to serve fairness, and their authority depends on it.
“Ubi non est justitia, ibi non …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Ubi | where | adverb introducing the clause; repeated by ibi in the main clause |
| non | not | negative adverb; negates est |
| est | there is | third person singular present indicative of sum, “I am”; here “there exists” |
| justitia | justice | nominative singular feminine of justitia, “justice”; subject of est |
| ibi | there | adverb answering ubi |
| non | not | negative adverb; negates potest |
| potest | can | third person singular present indicative of possum, “I am able”; takes an infinitive |
| esse | to be | present infinitive of sum, “I am”; completes potest |
| jus | law, right | nominative singular neuter of jus, “law, right”; subject of potest esse. Often spelled ius |
How to pronounce “Ubi non est justitia, ibi non …”
The main differences are in justitia and jus. Classical has a y sound for j (yoos-TEE-tee-ah), while Church Latin has the same y for j but a soft ts for ti (yoo-STEE-tsee-ah). Ubi is stressed on the first syllable, and potest on the first syllable of its two.
The story behind it
Word for word the maxim says “where justice is not, there law cannot be”. It sets up a link between two ideas: jus (law, right) depends on justitia (justice).
The thought echoes Augustine’s argument in The City of God (book 19, chapter 21), where he says that where there is no true justice there can be no right. The maxim itself is a later legal formulation of this idea and is listed simply as a legal maxim, not a quotation from a named author.
Today it is cited in debates about unjust laws, human rights and the limits of state power, usually to argue that authority without fairness has no real claim on obedience.
How to use “Ubi non est justitia, ibi non …”
Well suited to a human-rights speech, a philosophy-of-law or political-theory essay, or a motto for a legal or advocacy organisation. It works best where you want to argue that law gets its authority from fairness.
- Latin
- Ubi non est justitia, ibi non potest esse jus
- English
- Where there is no justice, there can be no law.
- Source
- Legal maxim
- Era
- Legal Latin
- Theme
- Justice
Common mistakes
- Jus here means “law” or “right” as a system, not an individual statute. The separate word lex means a specific law.
- Jus and justitia are related but not the same: justitia is the virtue of justice, jus is law or right. Do not swap them.
- It is often wrongly credited to Augustine word for word. Augustine made the argument, but this wording is a later legal maxim.
- Spelling varies: jus/ius and justitia/iustitia are the same words, with j and i interchangeable in Latin spelling.
Questions about “Ubi non est justitia, ibi non …”
What does “Ubi non est justitia, ibi non potest esse jus” mean?
“Where there is no justice, there can be no law.” It means law without justice is not true law, because its authority rests on fairness.
Who said “Ubi non est justitia, ibi non potest esse jus”?
It is a legal maxim, not a quote from one named author. It echoes Augustine’s argument in The City of God (19.21), but the exact wording is later.
How do you pronounce “Ubi non est justitia”?
Classically: UH-bee nohn est yoos-TEE-tee-ah. In Church Latin: OO-bee nohn est yoo-STEE-tsee-ah.
Is “Ubi non est justitia, ibi non potest esse jus” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is correct Latin. You can also see it spelled “Ubi non est iustitia, ibi non potest esse ius”, which is the same text with i for j.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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