Article III.
Section. 2.
The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;--to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;--to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;--to Controversies between two or more States;-- between a State and Citizens of another State,--between Citizens of different States,--between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.
This section of the Constitution is saying that any case involving any party disobeying the law will fall under the authority of the courts. This includes any individual citizen no matter what state they live in or in which state the crime was committed , public representatives and the states themselves. Even the federal government is subject to a trial if it is involved in some type of wrong doing which would be determined by the laws written by congress. (to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;) It is also saying that any of this cases should be treated equally. The citizens, those holding public offices and the state and federal governments are all equally expected to follow the same laws and held equally responsible when they don't.
I chose this section because it reflects the idea of all men being created equal. In theory that is what is supposed make America a great nation and unique from other nations, however we see examples everyday of that not being the case. Many politicians and government employees use their positions of power to put themselves above the law. A big part of why this is allowed to happen is the lack of education and interest the people have for their own government and political system. As long as they can continue their comfortable day to day routines, people tend to not care what kind of corruption is going on behind closed doors. However, a government of the people, by the people and for the people should automatically treat everyone as equals and ours clearly does not.
Our rights, stated in the Declaration of Independence, are better understood as “freedoms,” from which we attain by a power higher than government. I am not propagating religion, and I am certainly not trying to promulgate my views, but no matter what you believe about creation or evolution, you must acknowledge that government did not give us life and for that matter, basic human rights. Government’s lawful function is to defend the rights of its citizens, and its powers are limited, to only those given to it by the people. However, it’s a pity that when these natural laws were being thought off, women and non-whites were not considered, even though it clearly states that we are all equal. Such rights are best understood as freedoms from interference, whether by government or by other people.
ReplyDeleteI understand where you are coming from, you have to understand that the framers did not intend to encompass every one as citizens. It was design ed for only people of substance, property owners and people of wealth. That is one of the major flaws, equality meant some, excluding woman, American Indians, all other persons considered 3/5s.(slaves)
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