What does “place a finger on the scales” mean in English?

When something should be decided fairly — a trial, a vote, a contest — we picture a set of balanced scales. To “place a finger on the scales” means someone secretly pushes one side down, so the result is no longer fair. It is not about weighing anything literally. The image comes from Lady Justice, who holds scales to show that both sides must be treated equally.

In this clip, a journalist explains why Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction was overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court. The court found that a court clerk named Becky Hill had spoken privately to jurors during the trial. Around the time Murdaugh took the stand, she said things like “don’t listen to what he said, watch his actions” and “be careful as he testifies.” The justices ruled that she had placed her finger on the scales of justice — meaning the conviction could not stand. A new trial was ordered. The idea of scales goes back thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, a god was said to weigh a person’s heart against a feather to decide their fate. Today, Lady Justice — the figure outside many courthouses — holds scales to show that evidence on both sides must be weighed equally. To place a finger on the scales breaks that fairness. You can use this phrase outside a courtroom too: “The committee was supposed to pick the best proposal, but the chair had already placed a finger on the scales before anyone voted.” It fits any situation — a hiring decision, a school contest, a sports result — where a process that looks fair has been quietly made unfair. The phrase is formal; you will find it in news articles, court rulings, and opinion pieces rather than in everyday speech.