Justice for All: A Statement from ELI President Scott Fulton

July 2016

For nearly 50 years, ELI has held to a vision of “a healthy environment, prosperous economies, and vibrant communities founded on the rule of law,” both here and abroad.  “Rule of law” – the idea of law being respected and followed-in-fact – depends on a number of factors, but none more important than the imperative that the law protect fundamental rights and be fairly and equally applied.  In the environmental context, ELI has for years brought understanding to the issue of environmental justice – the idea of fair and equal treatment under environmental law regardless of race, heritage, or income.

The imperative of fair and equal protection under the law of course applies much more broadly.  Indeed, without this guarantee, law, and the institutions constructed to implement law, will not have legitimacy in the minds of the people, the system of laws will fail, and the vibrancy of our communities will be lost.

The latest incidents of racial violence must be seen as a breakdown of rule of law in the United States.  In these incidents can be seen the multi-faceted horrors of what happens when rule of law fails.  Plainly, key elements of the legal and enforcement institutions that all Americans rely upon are in need of repair.  Only with the assurance of fair and equal protection under the law can respect for the law, confidence in our institutions, and the rule of law be restored.  Transformational change is urgently needed to this end.

 

Scott Fulton

President