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Equal justice under law
Our judicial system is predicated on providing equal justice under the law but recently there have been many instances which seem to question this philosophy. It is not just about equal justice but about justice. No individual is above or should be above the law and when the law is violated those who have the responsibility to prosecute to step up to the plate and do their job. This involves actually investigating the accusations or suspicions themselves or their subordinates. Individuals who do such investigations should do so with integrity principles and not have the objective that nothing has been violated or make statements there is no problem before all the facts or in. As new evidence sometimes surfaces which changes conclusions investigations projects otherwise need to be reopened if they were closed and proceed with actions to prosecute.
Individuals from all walks of life make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes are a violation of law. Individuals regardless of whether they are private citizens, corporate management or government officials need to be held accountable for the crimes they commit. It is up to prosecutors at the appropriate level to take action to hold individuals accountable for their actions/decisions. With regards to violations of the law in the government sector we as voters expect government officials either elected, appointed or hired to do their job. The current approval rating for Congress and the Executive Department have one of the lowest ratings in what appears to be decades. This can only change if all individuals actually do their job. We as individuals are expected to perform our responsibilities and we expect nothing less than those at all levels of government.
Decisions to prosecute or at least investigate accusations are made should not involve whether it will hurt one political party or another. The rule of law should be the criteria to prosecute. If laws are violated and there appears to be much evidence at the federal level it is the responsibility of the justice department to take the appropriate action. All the decisions to prosecute should be based on the facts in the case and it should not make a difference regardless of the color of your skin or ethnic origin. It is important that all individuals be treated fairly within the justice system to be in conformance with our rights granted to us under the Constitution.
It is understood that laws generated at the state or federal level may have some problems but they are the law and should be enforced accordingly. In another aspect actions to prosecute or not should not be based on political philosophy but the associated facts. Some individuals who make the decisions to prosecute are elected officials while others are appointed. Individuals with responsibility to enforce the law need to be held accountable just like those who violate it.
With regards to elected officials who enforce the law we as voters must evaluate whether they are enforcing or ignoring violations of the law. Sometimes the violations are part of our rights under the Constitution and other times it involves laws passed by state legislatures or the federal government. Individuals we put in place or are put in place must be removed from office through our votes if they fail to enforce the laws on the books. Individuals appointed to their positions of enforcing the law can also be removed but it takes action by changing the administration or utilizing any voter options if they are not fulfilling their responsibilities.
Making the right decisions when it comes to enforcing the law can be difficult but individuals entrusted with the responsibilities to enforce either state and/or federal law is sometimes unpopular but it must be done. Some cases are high profile but it does not mean justice should be ignored simply for the reason it is high profile. Another issue involving the battle between state law and federal law case is individuals who are tried under state laws should not have the results questioned at the federal level unless federal laws have been violated. Federal laws are in place to ensure that our rights as citizens are not violated. The justice department has a right to make sure federal laws are not violated during any court proceedings. Decisions within each state should not be questioned based on public opinion or political or party philosophy.