Everyone, including those who govern, is subject to the law. That principle is the rule of law. Laws must be public, prospective, clear, and applied equally by independent courts.

The rule of law constrains arbitrary power. It protects individuals from unpredictable coercion and allows them to plan their lives and investments. Independent judges, accessible courts, and a professional legal culture are institutional supports. Corruption, selective prosecution, and retrospective legislation undermine it.

No society achieves perfect rule of law; the degree of approximation varies widely. International indices attempt to measure it through indicators of judicial independence, absence of corruption, and regulatory fairness. Political systems that abandon the rule of law in favor of personal or partisan command lose predictability and, eventually, legitimacy.

A government that can lose in its own courts is one that still respects the rule of law.