Of [respecting] like things, [in like cases,] the judgment is to be the same.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Like cases must receive like judgments — consistency in judicial decisions is essential to the rule of law, and similar facts demand similar outcomes.

Where this applies

• Two employees are caught embezzling the same amount of money under the same circumstances — the court gives them identical sentences because like cases demand like judgments.
• A judge who sentenced one shoplifter to probation must sentence another shoplifter with nearly identical facts to probation as well, to maintain consistency.
• An appellate court reverses a sentence that was wildly different from sentences given in comparable cases, because similar offenses require similar outcomes.