kangaroo court

noun
1.
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.
2.
any crudely or irregularly operated court, especially one so controlled as to render a fair trial impossible.
Origin
1850-55, Americanism
Examples from the web for kangaroo court
  • Managers feel that this is a kangaroo court and the process in general is unfair.
  • When threat investigation enters the realm of discipline its procedure appears to be a kangaroo court.
  • Something went wrong they would hold kangaroo court.
British Dictionary definitions for kangaroo court

kangaroo court

noun
1.
an irregular court, esp one set up by prisoners in a jail or by strikers to judge strikebreakers
kangaroo court in Culture

kangaroo court definition


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

Slang definitions & phrases for kangaroo court

kangaroo court

noun phrase
  1. A mock court: The toughest prisoner announced that he was president of the Kangaroo Club and would hold court (1853+)
  2. A small-town police court where traffic fines to transients are high and usually divided among the police (1940s+)

[origin unknown]


Idioms and Phrases with kangaroo court

kangaroo court

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 ]