--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For centuries, the courts took the view…" description: "\"For centuries, the courts took the view that preserving the discretion of the authorities trumped the rights of victims to hold them to account. It was..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/emily-thornberry-6730_act_for-centuries-the-courts-took-the-view-t_3186072.jpg" --- # For centuries, the courts took the view that preserving… ![“For centuries, the courts took the view that preserving the discretion of the authorities trumped the rights of victims to hold them to account. It was because of the Human Rights Act that this began to change.” quote by Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/emily-thornberry-6730_act_for-centuries-the-courts-took-the-view-t_3186072.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/emily-thornberry-6730_act_for-centuries-the-courts-took-the-view-t_3186072.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/emily-thornberry-6730_act_for-centuries-the-courts-took-the-view-t_3186072.jpg) > “For centuries, the courts took the view that preserving the discretion of the authorities trumped the rights of victims to hold them to account. It was because of the Human Rights Act that this began to change.” [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historically, courts favored authority discretion over victims' rights, but the Human Rights Act shifted the balance toward accountability. **In simple terms:** Courts used to protect officials, but new law gives victims more power. Key Takeaway Support legal reforms that protect victims. Themes justice law human rights accountability Mood serious hopeful Type policy historical analysis When to use this quote - court rulings - policy advocacy - victim support services Key Concepts legal reform victim rights institutional change Questions to Reflect On - What protections do victims need most? - How can courts balance authority and accountability? A Different Perspective Legal changes can be slow and face resistance from entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Courts Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courts-took-5857174/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Rights Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-act/) [Rights Victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-victims-2150302/) [View](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/view/) ## Related quotes > [The Human Rights Act is not a terrorists' charter. 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Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands-2/) > [President Lyndon Johnson's high spirits were marked as he circulated among the many guests whom he had invited to witness an event he confidently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/president-lyndon-johnson-s-high-spirits-were-marked-as-he-circulated/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The Voting Rights Act of 1965 brought an end to the ugly Jim Crow period in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-murkowski/the-voting-rights-act-of-1965-brought-an-end-to-the-ugly-jim-crow/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-murkowski/) > [No one questions the validity, the urgency, the essentiality of the Voting Rights Act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kennedy/no-one-questions-the-validity-the-urgency-the-essentiality-of-the/) [Anthony Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kennedy/) > [“Later that year, the Voting Rights Act opened the door for thousands to register for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junius-williams/later-that-year-the-voting-rights-act-opened-the-door-for-thousands/) [Junius Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junius-williams/) ## More by Emily Thornberry > [The notion of women being written out of history is as old as the Bible, but it always seems more galling when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-notion-of-women-being-written-out-of-history-is-as-old-as-the/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [The Human Rights Act is not a terrorists' charter. 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