'Labeled Justice'

 

That one's a Trump judge.  Another was appointed by President Clinton.  A third was an appointee of  Bush, the older. The first leans to the political right; the second federal judge has shown a decidedly progressive reading of the law, in most of his judicial rulings.  The third judge has issued rulings spanning much the entire scope of the political landscape. 

These days, it seems we measure who a judge is, their judicial temperament, how he/she will rule, first, by mentioning which President appointed them. The connection invariably seems to slap on a 'brand-for-life' - with all that follows being predetermined by the political leanings of the appointing President.  Identify the legal issue, then show me the judge in the case. Knowing both, I can almost pre-scribe the verdict, often one verdict reeking far more  the 'smell' of subjectivity, than any fragrance of the letter and spirit of the law.  

Our ideally 'blind', innocent until proven guilty, judicial system is being seriously threatened.  If what amounts to a debauchery of justice isn't curtailed, we soon won't be able to recognize our American system of justice - a system, despite its shortcomings, is still the envy of much of the civilized world.     

We're starting to have justice-by-popularity rating, by the sway of the mob.  Special interests groups with large budgets, and others, private and corporate, with siren sounding public relations messaging are too often defeating simple justice.  An almost obsessive, devotion to partisanship (and political party) is starting to sound like Communist China or Russia. "Party, party, party; agenda, agenda, agenda".  The only difference is China's legal system makes no pretense to offering justice in the first place. 

Our Lady Justice is no longer blind. Now she peeks through red or blue hues, depending on who's in favor on any given day.  Equal justice, it's going the way of gender certainty, low gas prices, mother, apple pie and the flag.  

Judges have too often become little more than politicians in black robes. These politically motivated, dangerously shortsighted actors are placing all Americans in real danger.  No better example of these politically motivated practices exist than watching judges (and prosecutors) in some of the cases  being brought against former President, Donald Trump.   

I'm not an lawyer, but I know you're not supposed to be able to predict judicial outcomes merely be checking the political party of the judge in the case.  The facts and the applicable law should be the only issue(s) in a courtroom.  True justice is, ultimately, about what not who.  When the 'who', becomes the salient issue, then the prettiest girl, the richest guy, the favorite topic of the day, begins to control outcomes in legal cases. 

Human nature is fickle.  One day you're in favor, the next day no one wants to see you coming.  A legal system left to the whims of political belief or personal caprice will soon cease to be systematic at all - to say nothing of being 'blind', or fair.  Even ancient cultures knew that person-centered, subjective justice, would ultimately lead to no justice at all. As far back as 1755 BC, the Babylonians, under Hammurabi, recognized the need for some kind of objective code.  Otherwise, what would be used to constrain the errant actions of men? 

In Hammurabi's Babylon everyone had to play by the same set of rules - regardless.  A harsh system for sure (they'd cut off and out fingers, hands, arms, tongues), the Hammurabi Code was, nonetheless, based on  the understanding that every man was innocent until proven guilty.  Sound familiar?  The tyrant might not like you, but he wouldn't skin you alive just because he didn't.  

Our founding fathers got a lot right when they designed our form of republican government.  The first and best understanding of the 'American Vision' was and is that our freedoms (and those of all peoples) are derived from God, not from men.  Who else but God?  What mere human (although God's most wonderful creation) could be trusted with the final verdict, over the freedom of the human family? Man is free, because God willed it so.  He did not give powers of appeal to any, merely, man made government.  His will: that is the source of all justice. 

Making justice a matter of political preference is wrong. Relegating justice to the vagaries of human passions, or political appointments strips away all godly protections.  Adherence to a 'Trump judge', or a Biden appointee, or one appointed by any man, replaces the role of our Lord with at least partisan mischief, and at worse, ungodliness.  'Labeled justice' is, too often, no justice at all.    

Men, and the governments they devise, like to have things their way.  The lust for power and contol can be addictive.  If we're going to have anything better than an 'eye for an eye, tooth for tooth' justice (like they did in ancient Babylon), we had better not allow our judicial system to become ruled by 'labeled justice', meted out by sycophantic judges.  The Bible is full of stories about justice and about mankind's sufferings at the hands of injustice. 

 Witness:  The escape from Egypt, ending only with God's mercy, and the parting of the Red Sea.  Think, too, of the ultimate injustice:  nailing our savior to the cross. Think if God was just some 'labeled justice', ruled by anything but perfect love?  'Lo and behold', we suffering humans -without His justice, His mercy.

The Chesapeake Bay is not the Red Sea, no one is 'escaping' across the Bay (except, perhaps, on hot August days, to get to the beach).  Yet, everyday we have to escape the fickle changing verdicts of men.  

I say:  'escape with Him across the waters of this life's injustices' - but it won't be done with labeled justice.  

                                                         _______________________

Postscript:  I've been away for sometime - illness.  Thank God I'm back to, 'Bible By The Bay' and you.

Talk with all of you again, soon.