CONSCIENCE OF THE COURT

conscience of the court. 1. The court’s equitable power to decide issues based on notions of fairness and justice. See EQUITY(4). 2. A standard applied by the court in deciding whether a party or a jury has acted within ac-ceptable limits. • Thus, in some cases, a jury’s award of damages is upset because it is said to “shock the conscience of the court.” See SHOCK THE CONSCIENCE. [Blacks Law 8th]