Legal Definitions - favor

In a legal context, favor refers to an unfair preference or partiality shown towards one person, group, or side over another. This inclination can compromise impartiality and lead to decisions that are not based solely on objective facts, evidence, or established rules. It implies a lack of neutrality, where a personal connection, prejudice, or self-interest influences judgment.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of favor:

• Imagine a city council member who consistently votes to approve zoning changes requested by a specific real estate developer, even when those changes face significant public opposition and appear to conflict with the city's long-term development plan. If it's later discovered that the developer has made substantial campaign donations to the council member's re-election fund, this would illustrate favor. The council member's decisions appear to be influenced by personal gain (campaign support) rather than solely by the public interest or objective planning criteria.

• Consider a university's admissions committee reviewing applications for a highly competitive program. One committee member strongly advocates for the admission of a particular applicant, despite the applicant's academic record being less impressive than many other candidates. It is subsequently revealed that this applicant is the child of a major donor to the university. This scenario demonstrates favor because the committee member's preference for the applicant seems to stem from the applicant's connection to a donor, rather than a neutral assessment of their qualifications compared to other applicants.

• During a procurement process for a large government contract, a selection panel member consistently rates proposals from a company owned by their former business partner higher than those from other, equally qualified bidders, despite objective scoring criteria suggesting otherwise. This panel member would be showing favor towards their former partner's company, as their personal relationship appears to be influencing their professional judgment and undermining the fairness of the competitive bidding process.