The rule of law is something most people within Canadian and U.S. societies, are taught about from a young age; as a given. Judges revere it, politicians evoke its name at every turn. But when analyzing the legal world and its institutions in the canadian/american contexts, there exists ample evidence that even within societies typically seen as stable, developed, and lawful, the rule of law is a fugazi. While certain, signficant aspects of its rule can undoubtedly be fulfilled, such as relative social stability, a holistic definition of the rule of law; a guarantee that nobody is above being held accountable by a court; hasn’t come close to being fulfilled. Malice, incompetence, innocence, and power all come together to deny people a fully functional legal system; primarily by shielding the law *itself* from consequences or accountability. The show Better Call Saul does a pretty good job of illustrating that point. Hope you all enjoy this videoo
REFERENCES (numbers correspond to the numbers displayed on screen, when info is derived from each source):
(1) The Fifth Estate: Betrayal of Trust – An episode of a CBC show on legal corruption within Canada. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/879915587897
(2) The Teflon Robe, Part 1: Objections Overruled – A sweeping and holistic Reuters Analysis of how U.S. judges who break laws are rarely ever given their due. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-judges-misconduct/
(3) Police Corruption: Exploring Police Deviance and Crime – A book by Maurice Punch, a professor and researcher, with decades of experience researching corporate crime and police criminology.
(4) L.A. is investigating 50-year-old policegangs, finally – A brief exposition on the continued presence of policegangs in the LA County Sherriff’s Department. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/la-is-investigating-50-year-old-police-gangs-finally-2022-03-30
(5) Excerpts of What the Commission Found: Loyalty Over Integrity – The Mollen Commission’s conclusions on widespread lawlessness in the NYPD. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/07/nyregion/corruption-uniform-excerpts-what-commission-found-loyalty-over-integrity.html
(6) The tyranny of merit: What’s become of the common good? – A book by Michael J. Sandel. Sandel argues that top law schools foster aristocracy by highly prioritizing students with the most resources. Points to the fact that in the UK, at least 70% of students who attend the most elite institutions come from families in the top 25% of the income scale, compared to just 3% from families in the lowest quarter percentile of income earners.
(7) The impact of legacy status on undergraduate admissions at elite colleges and universities – An article by Michael Hurwitz that highlights the advantages that students well-connected families often receive when applying to Ivy League institutions relative to the general student population of the U.S. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775710001676
Better Cali Ali – 00:00
The rule of law v. Law as an illusion – 01:03
Legal Naivety (Kim) – 03:33
Legal Corruption (Mike) – 14:50
No Police For the Police – 21:20
Jimmy & Chuck – 22:37
SAUL GONE – 28:32
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