Below is an email that I sent to four friends of mine who practice law. The hotlinks below lead to the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com) which is where I copied the quote from.
I came across this quote this weekend while I was watching A Man for All Seasons which is the story of Sir Thomas More's (later Saint Thomas More) conflict with Henry VIII of England. The dialog from the movie shown below takes place after More's family (including his future son in law William Roper) try to persuade More to arrest a young protégé of More's whom they suspect of spying on More and reporting back to King Henry. More refuses to arrest the former protégé because he has no evidence of a crime.
William Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
I know there is a great debate in this nation on who should and should not get the protections of our laws and Constitution. Being scholars of the law yourselves, I offer this as simply some food for thought and a source for reflection on the great and noble profession the four of you pursue. It is my honor as a law librarian to off what small part I can in the work your profession does.
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