Day 17 · Fairness
A fair process must survive an inconvenient person.
Fairness is easy when the outcome is already comfortable. Its real test arrives when evidence complicates the schedule, the unpopular person has a valid claim, or correction costs the institution something.
The source
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
Exodus 23:6 · King James Version
The thought
Justice is not the mood of the decision-maker. It is a process strong enough to protect the person we would rather dismiss. Good systems preserve a path for evidence, appeal, explanation, and repair precisely when power is impatient.
A task for today
Before one consequential decision, name the evidence, the decision owner, and the path for correction. If there is no path, build one.
Sources
Exodus 23:6 · Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.31 — meet the present duty with justice · Due process and equal protection — fair procedure cannot depend on popularity · Magna Carta, Clause 40 — justice must not be sold, denied, or delayed
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