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Rule of law essay usa
Racial discrimination within the justice system
U.s. justice system discrimination
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For centuries, analysts of law have debated virtually every attribute that encompasses the term. Although debate concerning law is often reduced to bickering over semantics, the need for law and its application has changed drastically throughout time, causing it to have many different definitions. When discussing "law" it is always important to disclose some sort of definition as to what law is in accordance to the topic of discussion. This aids comprehension and helps to avoid misinterpretation of what exactly is being referred to when the term is used. However, the failure to assign certain adjectives or a clear definition to law forces the opposition to address the thrust of the argument, rather than attack the given definition, which is often done. In addition, as said by Crazna Skapska, "enthusiasm for law without adjectives is based on the strong conviction that there are some adjectives which annihilate the meaning of the nouns to which they are added." That having been said, rather than enter into the much-exhausted debate concerning what law should or should not entail, I will only say that the "law" I am interested in is that of law in the United States. More particularly, and perhaps more importantly, the institutions within the legal system in the United States that blatantly oppress minorities and support class-based inequities in its society.
What justification is there, if any, in criticizing law in a system that is regarded by many as the greatest in the world? If one investigates only the surface of E.P. Thompson, or Martin Krygier's writings concerning the rule of law - perhaps none. E.P. Thompson insists that the rule of law is an "unqualified human good," and then goes on to say "To deny or belitt...
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Horwitz, Morton J. (1977). The Rule of Law: An Unqualified Human Good? The Yale Law Journal Vol. 86, Pg. ?
Thompson, E.P. (1975). Whigs and Hunters. NY Pantheon.
Krygier, Martin (1991). Law and Social Inquiry: Marxism, Communism, and Narcissism. The American Bar Foundation Pgs. 707-731.
Able, Richard L. 1991). Law and Social Inquiry: Capitalism and the Rule of Law:Precondition or Contradiction? The American Bar Foundation Pgs. 685-697.
Dahler, Don. "Some See Racial Overtones in Disparity of Crack vs. Powder Cocaine Sentences" May 11, 1998 (Boston Globe, p. A1)
Coloradans Against the Death Penalty (CADP), It's Easy to Believe in the Death Penalty - If You Ignore the Facts. Copyright 2000 CADP May 8, 2000.
http://www.coadp.org/thepublications/pub-v1n2-itseasy.html
Hayek, Friedrich A. Von. Law, Legislation and Liberty ... Vol. 2. London: n.p., 1976. UCR
The Rule of Law has always been a widely discussed topic throughout the history of modern political thinking. It can be defined as, “the principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced; the principle of government by law” (Dictionary.com). English philosopher John Locke and Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau have both developed well-rounded and detailed accounts on the Rule of Law and its crucial role in ensuring democracy and freedom in society. Despite the undeniable success and importance of their works and ideas, I believe ________ constructed a more persuasive and influential argument in explaining the extensive effects of the Rule of Law on government and society.
Palmer, Elizabeth A. "The Court and Public Opinion." CQ Weekly 2 Dec. 2000. CQ Weekly. SAGE Publications. Web. 1 Mar. 2000. .
Rehnquist, William H., Brennan, William J. "A Casebook on the Law and Society: What Rights
From the creation of the very first civilizations, people have been using laws for potential disputes and or other issues that they come across. With the evolution of time and the expansion of the legal system, many laws were established that did not promote justice and equality. In essence, they did not take into consideration the ethical and racial implications that these laws generated. In our days, laws of this nature are still in effect and are characterized as unjust. They can be found anywhere and can take various forms.
The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School. Ed. Fray, William C. April 2000. Yale University. 1 May 2000. (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wilson14.html)
In the United States, true equality has never existed. From the Declaration of Independence to modern times, the U.S. legal system has failed in any attempt at equality. The ideology of "all [men] are equal but some [men] are more equal than others" has been present throughout the history of the U.S. (Orwell). Inequality has always existed in the United States legal system and continues to exist today; however, the inequality presently in the system is not as blatant as what it once was, but the system has come to depend on inequality. Since the very beginning of a legal system in the United States, there has been inequality.
Culver, Keith Charles. Readings in the philosophy of law. 1999. Reprint. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press, 2008. Print.
(8) D., Lyons, Ethics and the Rule of Law, Cambridge University Press, 1989, p. 81.
Abadinsky, Howard. Law and Justice: An Introduction to the American Legal System. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
Separate studies conducted between 1993 through 2014 reveal that there are racial bias undertones that result in black defendants being sentenced to the death penalty more often when the victim is white, than vice versa. Given the racial stereotypes surrounding African-Americans in regards to drugs, and the now known ungrounded “War on Drugs” subjecting those who traffic in large quantities of drugs to the death penalty would be an egregious misuse of the judicial system with its variety of
The Law is always changing and it reflects today’s society. However, the Law is not perfect because it is made by humans. The Law does not always coincide with Justice and Morality, for example, Carroll has lawfully been acquitted, but justice hasn’t been served, because everyone knows that he has been acquitted on a technicality. Also, abortion is legal, but many people feel that it is immoral. Because of laws in need of repealing and the inconsistencies between Law, Justice and Morality, it is not surprising that the Law can often be seen as an ‘ass’.
Why is the concept of the rule of law an important aspect within society to have an integral understanding of? The rule of law is a facet of our society that affects and serves our lives on a daily basis because rules and laws dictate the underlying basis of our social interactions. One basic understanding of the idea of the rule of law is that society should be ruled by law, and not by men. At perhaps the most rudimentary level, the rule of law has been used to explain a type of governance that is founded upon universal and neutral rules. Endicott argues that communities can never adequately achieve the rule of law because “it requires, among other things, that government officials conform to the law. But they may not do so, and presumably there is no large community in which they always do so” (Endicott, 1999, p.1). Consequently, an area of rule of law is explored by Aristotle’s critique of Plato’s philosopher-rulers theory and his defence and understanding of the rule of law.
One of the founding father of modern sociology of law was the German sociologist Max Weber. When Weber observed that in modern era the social life became more rationalized, he not only closely looked at the central role of the state, economy and bureaucracy, but also talked about the role of law being the basis of political authority. The distinguishing feature of his work is that he outlined the characteristics of formally rationalized law that are guided by the application of procedures.