Write an essay on the topic:
LAW DAY 2012: No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom
AND YOU COULD WIN UP TO $300 IN U.S. SAVINGS BONDS
THIS YEAR’S ESSAY QUESTION:
Introduction:
“The Constitution protects judicial independence not to benefit judges,
but to promote the rule of law: Judges are expected to administer the law fairly,
without regard to public reaction.”
— William H. Rehnquist, Former Chief Justice, United States Supreme Court
Open and accessible courts are the cornerstone of a free society. The courts are where we go to have our rights protected, our injuries redressed, and our disputes resolved. Whether consumer or corporation, victim or accused, lender or debtor, parent or child, the work of the courts affects our everyday life. Recent budget cuts at all levels, as well as politically-motivated attacks on the judiciary, have seriously compromised the courts’ ability to function effectively and keep the wheels of justice turning.
It is essential to understand that without our courts, we would have neither justice nor freedom. The judiciary has a special and unique role in American constitutional democracy. Americans have long looked to the courts as guardians of fundamental liberties, protectors of the rights of individuals and political minorities, and arbiters of the Constitution and laws of the land.
Question: Our founding fathers valued the concepts of freedom and justice so much that they established an independent judiciary under Article III of the United States Constitution as one of the three branches of government. Yet one prominent candidate for President recently suggested that the President should be able to send U.S. Marshals to arrest activist judges and force them to defend their actions in front of Congress, remove federal judges, or even cancel entire courts if they do not do his bidding.
Considering the forgoing, please compose an essay examining the following: Some 224 years after the Constitution was adopted by the Constitutional Convention is there still a need for an independent judiciary, or should the Constitution be revised to modify or even eliminate this branch of government?
Each essay will be judged based upon format, clarity, style, reasoning, creativity and overall effort.
ENTRY DEADLINE: 3:30 P.M. FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012, AT THE TOLEDO BAR ASSOCIATION. NO STAPLES PLEASE.