The following is a fairy tale.  Fortunately, cruel absurdities like this don't happen in real life.  Right?  But just to make sure, why don't you check out the following link:   The Story of the Amiraults.

    Once upon a time, there lived a queen who prided herself on her administration of justice.  In her queendom, you see, the queen was the ultimate arbiter in all judicial matters.  The queen liked to keep tabs on how she was doing, and for this, she was fortunate to possess a magic set of scales.  Have you heard of the "Scales of Justice?"  Well, these scales were of that sort.  After each day's docket, the queen would inquire of her magic scales,

                                            Magic scales in the hall,
                                            Who is the fairest of them all?

And the magic scales would reply, "You are, My Queen."  Then the queen would smile to herself, content with a job well done.

    Unfortunately, the queen began to get a little lazy.  One day an extraordinary case was brought before her, the Case of the People vs. Snow White.
    "Your Highness," began the prosecutor, "Snow White is the proprietor of a day care center.  She was accused and convicted of child abuse.  The children were taken to a Secret Cottage in the Woods, where they were abused by Seven Bad Dwarves."
    "Child abuse is a terrible thing," said the queen.
    "You said it, Your Highness!  And now, after months and months and all that taxpayer expense,  she's trying to weasel her way out!"
    "Your Highness," said the defender.  "Child abuse is indeed a terrible thing, but the point is that my client is innocent."
    "Hah!" said the prosecutor.  "Look at all the evidence we have.  All of the children were interviewed, and they all gave strikingly similar testimony."
    "For example?" asked the queen.
    "Well, listen to this," said the prosecutor.  "For consistency, we asked all the children the same questions.  Here's the first one:  'Tell us about the Seven Bad Dwarves and the Secret Cottage in the Woods.'  And you know what?  They all gave the same answer:  'Say what?'  A little too much for coincidence, I'd say."
    "It sounds like none of them knew what you were talking about," ventured the queen.
    "Oh, no!" insisted the prosecutor.  "Nothing could be further from the truth!  Our expert says it was because they were too terrified of Ms. White to speak up."
    "But then, how did you ever find out about the abuse?" asked the queen.
    "Well, after we asked the children a few hundred questions about bad dwarves and secret cottages and kept them up for 36 straight hours without food, they began to talk."
    "And you don't think, after all that, that they might have been telling you what you wanted to hear?"
    "Impossible!" exclaimed the prosecutor.  "Children are incapable of making up stuff like that!"
    "What happened to 'too terrified to speak?'" asked the defender.
    "Child abuse is a terrible thing!" replied the prosecutor.
    "No one has found a single 'bad dwarf,' let alone seven," said the defender.
    "Beside the point!" countered the prosecutor.  "Look at how consistent the testimony is!"
    "No one has been able to tell us where this 'Secret Cottage in the Woods' is," continued the defender.
    "Well, if they could, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?" The prosecutor looked smug.
    "Recent reliable research has shown that bogus allegations can be extracted from children using the kind of coercive questioning that was used in this case," the defender continued.
    "Child abuse is a terrible thing!" thundered the prosecutor.  "Anyway, this thing has dragged on too long, and I want to be Attorney-General!"
    "But my client is innocent," insisted the defender.  "All the evidence that exists supports that conclusion."
    The queen thought for a moment, then banged her gavel.  "Child abuse is a terrible thing!" she declared.  "Death by lethal apple!  Take her away!"
    "Child abuse is not the only terrible thing in the world," sighed the defender.

    After the day's docket the queen queried her magic scales,

                                            Magic scales in the hall,
                                            Who is the fairest of them all?

    "Not you, My Queen," said the scales ruefully.  "I'm afraid the student council of the local elementary school could've done better."
    "Well, then, try this," she said,

                                            Magic scales in the hall,
                                            Who achieves the most finality of all?

    "Um, I guess that's you, My Queen," stammered the scales doubtfully.  "But I think you ought to look at yourself in the mirror."