"The principle aim of society is to protect individuals in the enjoyment of those absolute rights, which were vested in them by the immutable laws of nature."
- Sir William Blackstone
Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) was a contemporary of the framers of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. An English judge who went on to become the first Vinerian professor of law at Oxford University, Blackstone is best known for his Commentaries on the Laws of England. The Commentaries were the original foundation for legal education in America and a work that would dominate the common law legal system for centuries.
In the Commentaries, Blackstone explained that the basis upon which English Common Law resides is a higher law, the law written by God and found in His scriptures and the created order. Because of this, man lacks authority to write a law that contradicts God’s law. In fact, this was the basic premise of the Declaration of Independence.
Blackstone called this concept “ultra vires,” which means it is beyond the authority of man to write a law that violates God’s law. Blackstone also said that law is fixed, it is uniform, and it is universal. It does not change based on who the President is, or who holds judicial positions. It is the same law for everyone at all times and in all places.
Blackstone’s influence on American law was pervasive and profound. His writings trained nearly every American lawyer until the mid-19th century. His influence and the Christian worldview have since been virtually eradicated from American law schools. For this reason, Alliance Defending Freedom named its prestigious law student program the Blackstone Legal Fellowship. A new generation of lawyers, men and women of Christian conviction, passion, and intelligence, are being trained to restore religious liberty and bring about change in our culture.