Legal Definitions - fair

Definition: Fair is an adjective that means impartial, just, equitable, or disinterested. It can also mean free of bias or prejudice. As a noun, it refers to a privileged market for buying and selling goods.

• Everyone thought that Judge Jones was fair.
• In jury selection, the lawyers tried to select a fair and impartial jury.
• A fair was an incorporealhereditament granted to a town by royal patent or franchise or established by prescription.

The first two examples illustrate the adjective form of fair, which means impartial or free of bias. In the first example, Judge Jones is considered fair because he is just and equitable in his decisions. In the second example, the lawyers want to select a fair and impartial jury, meaning they want to choose jurors who are not biased or prejudiced.

The third example illustrates the noun form of fair, which refers to a privileged market for buying and selling goods. In the past, towns were granted the franchise to hold a fair, which gave them important privileges. Fairs were legally recognized institutions with distinctive legal characteristics, but most of these are now obsolete.