St. Augustine tells us that "In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?"
As the these articles illustrate, when there are two standards of justice, then there is none at all. You cannot allow the major offenders to loot and steal with impunity while the needy are punished simply for attempting to secure their daily bread.
And a nation with no justice is an illegitimate state. The expectation of fairness, of being given a fair hearing in a court of law is the lowest standard for a civilized society.
As Professor of Politics at the University of Oxford Alan Ryan writes:
As Professor of Politics at the University of Oxford Alan Ryan writes:
Justice is the most "political" or institutional of the virtues. The legitimacy of a state rests upon its claim to do justice.