Truth Month - July 2024
Day 25 - Justice is supposed to be fairly applied - blind to status and impartial in judgment
The well-known image of Lady Justice shows her with a blindfold covering her eyes and holding a scale. The expectation is that justice will be weighed fairly and applied in the same way to everyone regardless of their status, character, or wealth. When justice is not uniformly applied, then confidence is lost in fair outcomes. This applies both to the wealthy as well as to the poor, to those in power and to those who are not, and to those of high reputation as well as to those with a criminal past.
It should be distressing to all when we see that this is not the case.
When protestors of disfavored movements are targeted with extreme charges and sentences, while favored groups who burned and looted businesses, for example, are not even charged
When political leaders are targeted with "unique" interpretations of laws that have rarely/never been prosecuted before or applied in this manner just to "get" someone
When violent criminals are either not arrested or immediately released because they are poor/oppressed and are not even required to post bail
When disproportionate fines are levied against individuals, especially who can't afford to defend themselves against either the government or corporations with deep pockets
When judges appear to be biased in favor of certain cultural or political agendas and prejudicially rule consistently against one side
When judges limit the free speech of one party, but does not gag the other, in the name of safety and fairness
When judges have clear conflicts of interest and known biases, but refuse to admit it and recuse themselves
When the political party in power weaponizes the full power of the government to find crimes against their opponents
When judges effectively make laws by fiat instead of properly interpreting existing ones as intended
When justices refuse to "get involved" in controversial cases that might result in them losing popularity at social gatherings
When this happens, confidence in the integrity of the courts is diminished and lost. Lady Justice should not tip the scales to achieve predetermined outcomes of equity, social justice, and discrimination at the expense of truth, real justice, and the laws of our constitutional republic.
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