Opinion
By Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr., 12-3-25
It is fashionable in many circles to denigrate lawyers and the legal profession. Lawyer jokes abound. The public approval of the legal profession is at an all time low. But, the law and the legal profession are magnificent and very Biblical. The two thrones around the Throne of God in heaven are Justice and Righteousness! Psalm 89:14: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.”
Justice is very important to God. In Amos 5:24, God says “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream”. In Micah 6:8, God says: “He/God has shown you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with your God.” In Psalm 33:5 God says “The Lord loves righteousness and justice” and in Leviticus 19:15 He says that justice should not be perverted: Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great but judge your neighbor fairly.” In Psalms 10:17, God says to defend the cause of the oppressed and fatherless, the widows and orphans. Jeremiah 22:3. In Isaiah, 61:8 God says “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong.” In Proverbs 18:5, God says “It is not good for a judge to show partiality to the wicked or to acquit the guilty.”
The vast majority of lawyers I have known have been outstanding people with a great sense of fairness and public service. Lawyers must have 19 years of schooling including college and law school and then pass a grueling 2 day bar exam to enter the legal profession. They are to be greatly honored in my view.
Lawyers are required by their bar association to perform pro bono work, or free legal work for poor people every year. Some lawyers give hundreds of hours of free legal work for the poor, which amounts of tens of thousands of dollars of free work. In Florida there is a pro bono award banquet where thousands of great lawyers are honored. How many people know this?
When I was a lawyer at the Justice Department in Washington, I wrote a memo urging the Supreme Court to put cameras in the courtroom so the public could see the oral arguments on television. My point was that if the public could see the majesty of Supreme Court oral arguments and the brilliance of lawyers they would have greater respect for the legal profession. My advice was not followed, and we now see a great decline in the public approval for lawyers and the legal profession and even the Supreme Court. It is time for a change!
Lawyers have the ability to bring peace and order to people in their time of chaos and trouble. They can explain the legal process and bring about a resolution of legal problems in a way to give people peace and hope for the future. This is especially true in family law cases, which are very emotional. Lawyers can give you a new start in life.
My own legal career has spanned 52 years in all three branches of the federal government and private practice and 27 years as a Federal Administrative Law Judge. I have been blessed with a very exciting legal career and have been involved in some of the most important legal, social and political issues facing our country, such as employment discrimination, prisoner rights, privacy rights, sexual harassment, whistleblower retaliation and protection, swine flu vaccination claims, abortion, disability law, pornography and many others. Lawyers are involved in all of these key issues.
One example of a great Christian lawyer today is Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel in Orlando. Staver has won 95% of his cases in the Supreme Court, many of which have promoted religious freedom for Christians. One such case was the right of a baker to not bake a cake that violated his religious faith. Another was the right of Christians to protest at abortion clinics. Another case dealt with the right of churches to stay open during COVID, and the right of Christians not to take COVID Vaccinations. Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice is another great example. Pat Robertson, a Christian lawyer started the Christian Broadcasting Company (CBN) and the 700 Club.
President Trump has appointed some great Christian men and women lawyers to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in 2022, they reversed Roe v. Wade, and ended the so-called Constitutional right to abortion that caused the death of more that 60 million babies. Christian lawyers were instrumental in stopping the abortion holocaust.
I am appalled at the anti-lawyer, anti-college and anti-government attitude I see in many Christians today. They should realize that 26 of our 47 Presidents of the United States have been lawyers. They should also realize that 25 of the 56 Founding Fathers of America were lawyers. Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams were lawyers, and they are the ones who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, the greatest political documents of all time. Most of our great U.S. Congressmen and Senators have been lawyers. Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer from my home state of Kentucky, and was instrumental in saving the Union, and ending slavery, two monumental achievements.
Christians should also realize that you cannot become a lawyer (or a doctor or engineer or scientist) without attending college and graduate school. Degrees matter. The tassel is worth the hassle. True, many colleges try to brainwash students in liberal ideology. But do not send your young people to those colleges. There are many great Christians colleges and universities, such as Regent, Oral Roberts, Liberty, Hillsdale and Southeastern.
Jesus is our lawyer in the Court of Heaven and constantly makes intercession for us. Hebrews 7:25. He presents the evidence of His sacrifice – his blood on the cross as the payment for our sins. He was called “wonderful counselor, mighty God.” Isaiah 9:6. Let Jesus be your role model of service to all people.
I urge you to challenge your young people to dream big: go to college, go to law school, become a lawyer and and judge. Use your legal skills to enact righteous laws and protect our precious religious freedom so the Gospel can run swiftly throughout the world. Run for political office and help to govern our republic. Change America and the world for the good with your Judeo-Christian values. Be a great lawyer, judge or government leader and help to save Western Civilization!
Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr. is a retired judge and practicing attorney in Nassau County
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florid
