Access to justice definition

Access to justice means any judicial process through which an expeditious and comprehensive resolution to a legal conflict of an environmental nature is sought [Colombia: from national jurisdictional bodies] [Chile: from national jurisdictional and administrative bodies], under equal conditions of the parties [Paraguay: to the litigation] [Chile: to the proceedings], with a view to obtaining an individually and socially fair outcome. [Argentina] [Uruguay, Colombia, Chile: under equal conditions of the parties, with a view to obtaining an individual and socially fair outcome]
Access to justice means the removal of barriers, inter alia, legal, social, and financial, to allow persons to seek redress on environmental matters through any [formal or informal] institution of justice, while affording equal treatment for all parties. [Saint Lucia]
Access to justice in its general term, means the individual’s access to court or a guarantee of legal representation. It has many fundamental elements such as identification and recognition of grievance, awareness and legal advice or assistance, accessibility to court or claim for relief, adjudication of grievance, enforcement of relief, of course this may be the ultimate goal of a litigant public.

Examples of Access to justice in a sentence

  • Access to justice ......................................................................................................................

  • As a consequence, the tropical upwelling air is diabatically heated, and the extratropical downwelling air is diabatically cooled.

  • Each Party shall take effective measures, as appropriate, regarding: (a) Access to justice; and (b) The utilization of mechanisms regarding mutual recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards.

  • Access to justice ...................................................................................................................

  • Access to justice, social rights, women’s rights, civil society, human trafficking and personal data protection were omitted in 2013, 2014 and 2015.


More Definitions of Access to justice

Access to justice means any judicial process through which an expeditious and comprehensive resolution to a legal conflict of an environmental nature is sought, under equal conditions of the Parties, with a view to obtaining an individual and socially fair outcome.12
Access to justice means not only access to the police and courts but also to any other justice process: “the right to access all judicial, administrative, or other public processes that are available under the domestic law of a particular country, as well as under international law.”9
Access to justice in simplistic terms, means to provide an effective mechanism to the aggrieved person for enforcement of her rights. This relationship between justice and rights has its foundation on the principle of equality. It is well articulated by legal philosophers like John Rawls1 and Ronald Dworkin.2 Societies across the world discuss about denial of justice. Access to justice and rule of law became part of United Nations (UN) deliberations while dealing with transitional societies like Iraq.
Access to justice means people’s ability to secure their immigration rights and move forward with their lives.This encompasses dismantling systemic barriers and simplifying laws as well as provision of timely, high quality, affordable legal advice
Access to justice means individuals and groups should have opportunities for redress when authorities fail to comply with their duties to provide access to information or decision-making.73 This pillar finds its expression more in national law than in multilateral environmental agreements. Thus, most MEAs, including the chemicals agreements, do not give individuals the right to petition their governments or international organizations for redress when their access rights to environmental information and decision-making have not been honored. Instead, in the context of MEAs, in which the obligations of sovereign states are directed towards each other rather than towards their respective citizens, the focus of the access to justice pillar may most appropriately be on the role the public and NGOs can play in facilitating compliance with, and implementation of, the provisions of an MEA. 1.2 Origin and Application
Access to justice means states shall take all necessary measures to guarantee that every individual can appeal to an effective redress mechanism of an administrative or judicial nature, including the possibility of holding third parties accountable “and the determination of their criminal, civil, or administrative responsibility.” 205 Measures could take numerous forms, including removing any social, economic, or regulatory obstacle hindering access to redress mechanisms for vulnerable populations.206 This right is broad in nature; thus, it involves not only physical access to such mechanisms but also fairness throughout the proceedings, the capability of the institution to afford redress, and a prompt and opportune resolution.
Access to justice means that individuals have access to and can make effective use of existing judicial or quasi-judicial mechanisms to protect their rights and obtain redress in response to violations.7 This can include access to informal institutions, such as customary frameworks,8 and quasi-judicial alternative dispute mechanisms.9 The access to justice should not be hindered by anything, and certainly not by the irregular status in which some migrants find themselves. The total and complete access to the existing legal and judicial mechanisms should be ensured, to guarantee that right. Access to justice is therefore a crucial tool to address impunity and ensure the rule of law.