Journal Title
Texas Bar Journal
Volume
2015
Issue
April
First Page
266
Document Type
Article
Publication Information
2015
Abstract
A look at the history and legacy of the Magna Carta elucidates the many ways in which it shaped American jurisprudence and the law of Texas. The Magna Carta is held in high regard because the unknown drafters understood the importance of legal principles, fair procedures, proportional punishment, official accountability, and respect for human dignity. Its unquestionable commitment to the primacy of legal principles and anticipation of the development of judicial ethics significantly influenced and contributed to the construction and content of the Texas Constitution, Bill of Rights, and many Texas cities’ ethics codes. Although it was intensely focused on the issues of feudal England, the Great Charter set the high expectations that have inspired lawyers and reformers for 800 years.
Recommended Citation
Vincent R. Johnson, The Great Charter, Tex. Bar J., at 266 (April 2015).