Just and Holy Principles

Definition:

Equal Justice: the principle that the judicial system treats all who come before it equally under the law without regard to gender, race, class, religion, or anything else.

The words "Equal Justice Under Law" carved into the front of the Supreme Court building are fitting to describe the guiding principle of the U.S. judicial system. The courts must be unbiased in their interpretation and application of the law in all cases. It is often said that justice is "blind", meaning that it does not see people's unique attributes but judges them fairly and equally.

For example, the Rodney King case in 1992 is seen by many as a case in which race played an instrumental role in the outcome of the case. King, a black American of African descent, was caught speeding and was then chased and stopped by three white American and one Latino American police officers who continued to beat him after he appeared to have stopped resisting arrest. The officers were subsequently indicted and prosecuted but then acquitted by a jury of ten whites, one latino, and one asian. The not-guilty verdict triggered widespread riots in Los Angeles and other parts of the country. Whether race actually affected the outcome of the trial or not, this case demonstrates the necessity that the enforcers and the interpreters of the law treat and judge people fairly and equally regardless of race or any other factors.

Finally, several of the amendments to the Constitution outline principles that advocate equal justice. Included in these are provisions involving unreasonable searches and seizures (Amendment IV), due process of law (Amendment V), the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury (Amendment VI), excessive bail (Amendment VIII), and cruel and unusual punishment (Amendment VIII). The enforcers and interpreters of the law must treat all people with fairness and equality based on these principles.

The Founders:

Thomas Jefferson: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . . (The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776)

Benjamin Franklin: The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy. (Franklin, Benjamin Emblematical Representations, Circa, 1774)

Thomas Jefferson: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . . (The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776)

John Adams: [I]t is proper you should understand what I deem the essential principles of our Government.... Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever persuasion, religious or political.... (Jefferson, Thomas First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801)

The Brethren:

John Taylor: We get up sometimes a very rash feeling against people who do not think as we do. They have a right to think as they please; and so have we. Therefore, if a man does not believe as I do, that is none of my business. And if I do not believe as he does, that is none of his business. Would you protect a man that did not believe as you do? Yes, to the last bat’s end. He should have equal justice with me; and then I would expect to be protected in my rights. (The Gospel Kingdom, 328–29)

Dallin H. Oaks: I see divine inspiration in what President J. Reuben Clark called the “great fundamentals” of the Constitution. In his many talks on the Constitution, he always praised three fundamentals: (a) the separation of powers into three independent branches of government in a federal system; (b) the essential freedoms of speech, press, and religion embodied in the Bill of Rights; and (c) the equality of all men before the law. (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Divinely Inspired Constitution,” Ensign, Feb. 1992)

References:

→  Dallin H. Oaks, “The Divinely Inspired Constitution,” Ensign, Feb. 1992