Americans are proud of their justice system, but a look at the news raises concerns about its health.
According to the Oath of Allegiance, which all Americans know by heart, a solemn pledge by their republic is “justice for all.” The constitution also promises equality of citizens before the law and judges free from politics and corruption.
While these promises have never been fully delivered, they are particularly undermined these days.
gun justice
Recent incidents in Missouri and upstate New York have brought to the fore the laws that protect those who take the law into their own hands. Are these actions punished? For the man who nearly killed Ralph Yarl – the teenager guilty of ringing the wrong doorbell – an acquittal seems likely, as was the case with the killer of Trayvon Martin ten years ago.
Police brutality against blacks continues to betray promises of justice for all as the eight Ohio officers who riddled Jayland Walker with dozens of projectiles have been exonerated.
This culture of arbitrary justice at gunpoint was also evident in the recorded statements of an Oklahoma sheriff, who complained that he could not lynch African-American suspects, who he felt “have more rights than we do.”
When justice seems to be working, as in the case of the Texan found guilty of murdering a Black Lives Matter protester in Austin, politics steps in. Immediately after the sentencing, the Republican governor of Texas pardoned the offender, who is likely to become another hero of the cracked right.
above the law
Equality before the law becomes a very abstract concept when we see the system’s inability to bring ex-President Trump to justice. In the January 6, 2021 case in particular, hundreds of his executors have been brought to justice, but the capo remains at large and his millions of supporters believe he is above the law.
American justice could escape if the ex-president is held accountable for his actions, but it has become virtually impossible to discuss these cases without becoming entangled in partisanship.
Hyperpoliticized Judges
During this time, American confidence in judicial institutions is crumbling, particularly because of the extreme politicization of certain judges.
On abortion, for example, the conservative activists who dominate the Supreme Court have overturned half a century of jurisprudence. Other judges act as physicians, requiring the decertification of drugs that have been used for decades.
There have also been shocking revelations recently about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas flouting financial disclosure rules after accepting pharaonic gifts from a conservative billionaire linked to multiple court cases.
In short, the American justice system is in bad shape. Are these evils irreversible? Probably not, but the solution has to be a thorough cleansing of the political culture – and the culture in general – of our neighbors. It’s not tomorrow the day before yesterday.
