Unequal Justice – July 2014

 

 

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

 

“Muckraking journalist Matt Taibbi sees a huge and growing divide in the US justice system, where big money buys innocence and poverty means guilt.” – Tom Ashbrook National Public Radio

Many of the weekday readings for the liturgy during this season contain admonitions from Isaiah, Amos, and Micah regarding God’s indignation at the lack of justice for the widow, the orphan, and the poor. These oracles from the prophets seem to be a call for action by the leaders of Israel to exercise individual morality but they are also a call to transform unjust legal codes. Judges and court officials should not be swayed by money or the social status of the petitioner. While we might be inclined to see unequal justice systems as something from the past or something that still happens in underdeveloped countries, we have our own prophet in Matt Taibi who not only showers us with invective but has the data to back it up. Whether your political views are left, right, or center God’s call to justice is uncompromising. Here is National Public Radio’s Tom Ashbrook’s interview with Matt Taibi.

“A Child’s Gaze” by Peter Griffin – Public Domain