Magna Carta

Today is the 794th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, a document sealed by King John of England on June 15, 1215, in which he made a series of promises to his subjects that he would govern England and deal with his vassals according to the customs of feudal law. Magna Carta remains a major document in the history of individual liberty, but only clauses 39 and 40 of Magna Carta remain valid law in England. Nonetheless, Magna Carta remains a major document in the history of individual liberty.


The two most important clauses of Magna Carta are among the legal clauses.

This clause establishes that the king would follow legal procedure before he punished someone. In Clause 39, the King promises:

“No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or outlawed or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go or send against him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.”

This clause establishes the principle of equal access to the courts for all citizens without exorbitant fees. Clause 40 promises:

“To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.”