What is the purpose of law if not to promote harmony among people?
Doctors swear to "First, Do No Harm." Lawyers should so swear.
Harmony comes through Peace. Peace through Justice.
If a Lawyer does harm and follows the Law — the Law must be changed.
A recent ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court held that an innocent Black man, Lamar Johnson — who had served 43 years in prison — must remain in prison. The reasoning was that appeals were exhausted. Factual innocence was irrelevant.
Such an unjust system must not stand.
There is no statute of limitations on murder. There should be no statute of limitations on factual innocence of murder.
When the finality of wrong decisions is more important than the fact that the decisions are wrong, we have truly lost our way — and must change course.
We do not serve the Law. The Law serves Us — the People.
The People make the Law through their elected Representatives. The People can change the Law.
The long, hard days of white supremacy expressed in the law of the United States must end. It is shameful and gravely wrong.
Like doctors, lawyers must never forget that we are human beings first.
We should do no harm to our fellow citizens.
We should do no harm to the harmony among us.
"The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis."
— Thurgood Marshall
"An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind."
— Mahatma Gandhi
