The rule of law, Executive Director of the Society for the Rule of Law Gregg Nunziata explains, is the invisible foundation of our society and is so omnipresent that we rarely stop to examine it, yet its absence is catastrophic. At its core, the rule of law is not merely the existence of caselaw and statutes or even the absence of chaos; it is a positive, profound cultural commitment to the notion that power must answer to law, not the other way around. Rooted in thinkers from Aristotle to Montesquieu, and embedded in America's constitutional architecture of separated powers, checks and balances, and judicial independence, the rule of law delivers civilization's three greatest gifts: physical security, economic prosperity, and personal liberty. Yet Nunziata observes that commitment to the rule of law faces historic strain as voices across the political spectrum increasingly treat law as a weapon, an obstacle, or an irrelevant relic. Against this storm, lawyers bear a special duty of stewardship to use the legal system with integrity and to preserve it for future generations by acting with restraint and care.
