The Rule of Law

A "This I Believe" Essay

By: Michael Mullane, Jay Allison - editor, Dan Gediman - editor

Narrated by: Michael Mullane

Professor and attorney Michael Mullane says that we are all protected by and accountable to the law, in "The Rule of Law," his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

Featuring a star-studded list of contributors that includes John McCain, Isabel Allende, and Colin Powell, as well as pieces from the original 1950's series including Helen Keller and Jackie Robinson, the This I Believe collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer, a woman who sells yellow pages advertising in Fort Worth, and a man who serves on the state of Rhode Island's parole board. The result is a stirring, funny and always provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of Americans whose beliefs, and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them, reveal the American spirit at its best.

This short audio essay is an excerpt from the audiobook edition of the This I Believe anthology.

Rule of law is foundational

Narration: clear and intense. Author/narrator obviously cares patiently about the law (unlike Trump).


Content: Author makes us think intently about law as a human construct, viable only for so long as we take ourselves seriously. Ahmed to that.