Examine how the rule of law impacts everyday life.

The most profound and unique accomplishment of the American Framers was the establishment of a document that is the supreme law of the land. No monarch, political leader, or lawyer can create law simply by declaring something to be law. The “rule of law” means that every citizen is governed by the same law, applied equally and fairly to all. In the United States, the Constitution is “king.” Only laws passed through the mechanisms established by the Constitution are valid. Furthermore, any law that is inconsistent with the limitations, structures, or principles established by the Constitution is considered invalid.

The Constitution is considered the supreme law of the land both because of its content and because its authority is derived from the people. The concepts and ideas of the Constitution are the “higher law” in the United States of America, things which a government cannot create or destroy. Among these concepts and ideas is the notion that the people are sovereign and that legitimate governments must be based on popular consent. Because the Constitution was ratified by the representatives of the people, it is a document, in both word and deed, created by and for “we the people.”

While the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, most of the specific, day-to-day rules and regulations that bring order to American society are not included in the Constitution itself. These “ordinary” laws are creations of the Congress, state legislatures, and city councils. The notion that laws are more important than the opinions of individual people — even important people — applies to these laws as well. In America, no one is considered to be above the law. In fact, deliberately trying to avoid the law through deception or bribery are crimes in and of themselves. Even a president who violates the law can be held accountable for doing so. Additionally, all laws passed by any legislative body — local or national — must adhere to the principles found in the Constitution.