Are we losing faith in law?

I am honored by the invitation to contribute to this blog dedicated to matters of faith and law. In this inaugural post, I would like to consider whether our nation is losing its faith in law. In many respects, law is our national religion. We are "one nation under law" (to borrow from a recent PBS series). Are we losing our religion (to borrow from R.E.M.)?

Confidence in the rule of law was the idea that gave birth to our nation. John Adams famously enshrined confidence in the institution of law in the text of the Massachusetts Constitution. The Massachusetts Constitution separates governmental powers so that Massachusetts "may be a government of laws and not of men." The founders justified signing the Declaration of Independence by highlighting King George III's lawless (and tyrannical) conduct. Those who signed were patriots defending the rule of law rather than traitors destroying it.