“Justice is the same for all” by an American Judge
In theory, justice is the same for all.
Firstly, according to the Declaration of Independence (July 4th 1776), “all men are created equal, with certain unalienable Rights.” However, at that time, only white men were concerned. Black men had to wait until 1863, when President Lincoln abolished slavery. Besides, to live at the prospect of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”, discrimination or segregation shouldn’t exist.
Secondly, the declaration above inspired the French Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees that “all men are born and remain free in rights", as well as many other countries.
Thirdly, one century later, the American Pledge of Allegiance (1892) “to the flag of the United States of America […], one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” stipulates that every American, regardless of race, religion, colour, creed, or any other criteria is protected by the law. Just as the flag represents 50 individual states that can not be divided, the citizens can not be separated.
But in reality, facts are different.
First, in the world there are more countries without death penalty than with it however in the United States 38 states are applying capital sentence. That is the first sign that justice isn’t the same for all. For example the perpetrator of last Monday’s massacre in Virginia, would have been sentenced to death if he wouldn’t have committed suicide. Besides, according to an FBI report, the more execution, the more violence there is.
Second, discrimination has an effect on justice. Even if majority of crimes are not committed by minorities, African-Americans account for one in three people executed. Is that a coincidence? Moreover, from 2000 to 2002, 70 percent of drivers stopped by the police were black whereas only 17 percent Afro-Americans have a driver’s license.
In conclusion, the fundamental texts...