We aspire to have, as John Adams famously observed, “a government of laws, not of men.” Central to that aspiration is our faithful adherence to the rule of law upon which our nation was founded—to the idea that no one, regardless of position or wealth, is above the equal application and enforcement of our laws.

We would do well to remember this principle at this turbulent moment in our history, when we are confronted with multiple challenges that will have widespread and enduring consequences for our nation. For more than a year, we have battled a deadly global pandemic that has caused the death of more than half a million people in the United States alone. A corresponding economic crisis threatens the livelihoods and housing stability of numerous Americans. Fundamental concerns regarding racial, gender and economic injustice have once again surfaced in our national consciousness, exposing distrust between some citizens and the law enforcement professionals sworn to protect them, and producing tensions and conflict among various demographic groups. In many respects our politics have given way to demagoguery, tearing at the fragile social fabric of our nation. America’s political divisions have become deeper and more virulent than at any time since the Civil War, rupturing communities and threatening the very survival of the democratic institutions we have taken for granted.