“..all men are created equal, …endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
…Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – U.S. Declaration of Independence
Our Government exists to protect our unalienable Rights of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” as highlighted in our Declaration of Independence and detailed in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. If our Rights are taken away, it destroys the foundation upon which our Nation is built.
In America, even when someone is perceived to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, or may even admit to conducting unseemly and criminal acts, we still provide them their rights to due process. We do not tolerate “lynchings.”
During appeals, in the words of Justice Holmes, who served on the Supreme Court for 30 years, “what we have to deal with is not the petitioner’s innocence or guilt but solely the question whether their constitutional rights have been preserved.” “Guilty as [petitioner] undoubtedly is — unworthy member of the community as he undoubtedly is — he was entitled to a better procedure.”
