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18 Minn. J. Int'l L. 425 (2009)
Searching for the Meaning of the Rule of Law: Finding Extraordinary People

handle is hein.journals/mjgt18 and id is 429 raw text is: Cite as: 18 Minn. J. Int'l L. 425 (2009) Rule of Law Symposium Searching for the Meaning of the Rule of Law: Finding Extraordinary People Mark S. Ellis* Exactly what constitutes the rule of law has been much debated in recent years, paralleling a growing interest in whether or not the rule of law may be a key unifying principle for all nations. That this symposium edition of the Minnesota Journal of International Law focuses directly on the meaning of this concept is testimony to its importance and promising future. We have all read the definitions-free elections, free media, presumption of innocence, an independent judiciary, proportional punishment, etc. But, while laudable and accurate, these descriptions and definitions still ring shallow for me because they fail to capture the essence of the rule of law-the human spirit. When I look back to my early years with the American Bar Association's Central European and Eurasian Legal Initiative (CEELI) project, I think of the many people I met and worked with in the former Soviet Bloc countries. These were lawyers, judges, professors, and civic leaders who had sacrificed enormously during the communist era and were struggling to create new societies based on the rule of law. It was through their eyes and experiences that I came to learn the true meaning of the rule of law. Unlike most of us, they understood what is meant by the rule of law because they had lived without it for most of their lives. * Mark Ellis was Executive Director of the American Bar Association CEELI project from 1990-2000. He is currently Executive Director of the International Bar Association, London. This article was written in response to Mr. Ellis' participation in the Minnesota Journal of Law's Rule of Law Symposium on November 14, 2008.

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