"Such a prostitution of judicial power can never occur again under the shadow of the British law, for no jury within the wide circle of the empire would submit to such an infraction of their privilege, even if a judge could be found daring enough to attempt it"
About this Quote
The line also performs a clever constitutional judo move. Howe wraps himself in “the shadow of the British law,” invoking imperial legitimacy at the very moment he’s challenging a colonial authority. It’s not rebellion; it’s loyalty used as leverage. By claiming the empire’s own legal culture would never tolerate such an “infraction,” he frames the local abuse as un-British, an aberration that stains the brand. That’s politics disguised as piety.
The subtext is jury power as popular sovereignty. “Privilege” doesn’t mean a perk; it means a firewall between state power and the citizen. Howe flatters jurors across “the wide circle of the empire,” building a transatlantic imagined community of reasonable people who simply won’t be pushed around. The final jab - “even if a judge could be found daring enough” - casts the offending judge as not just wrong but reckless, a lone gambler against a united public.
Contextually, this reflects a 19th-century struggle over press freedom and colonial governance: the courtroom as the stage where a political community argues itself into being.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Howe, Joseph. (2026, January 17). Such a prostitution of judicial power can never occur again under the shadow of the British law, for no jury within the wide circle of the empire would submit to such an infraction of their privilege, even if a judge could be found daring enough to attempt it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/such-a-prostitution-of-judicial-power-can-never-68515/
Chicago Style
Howe, Joseph. "Such a prostitution of judicial power can never occur again under the shadow of the British law, for no jury within the wide circle of the empire would submit to such an infraction of their privilege, even if a judge could be found daring enough to attempt it." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/such-a-prostitution-of-judicial-power-can-never-68515/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Such a prostitution of judicial power can never occur again under the shadow of the British law, for no jury within the wide circle of the empire would submit to such an infraction of their privilege, even if a judge could be found daring enough to attempt it." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/such-a-prostitution-of-judicial-power-can-never-68515/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
