Justice is prior to liberty.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Justice must be established before liberty can be enjoyed — without a just legal order, liberty degenerates into license and chaos.

Where this applies

• A newly formed government establishes courts and a legal system before granting broad personal freedoms, because without justice there is no safe framework for liberty.
• A constitutional convention debates the bill of rights but first establishes an independent judiciary, recognizing that liberty without a just system to protect it is meaningless.
• A philosopher argues that a society must have fair laws and impartial judges before individual freedoms can be meaningfully exercised.