September 30, 2009

The etching outside the Supreme Court says, "Equal justice under law." That is an ideal and is not always reached. Celebrity and money can produce one kind of justice; poverty and lack of money or influence, another.

In the case of Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski, celebrity and powerful friends have kept him from the grip of justice for four decades. Polanski, who was married to Sharon Tate, the pregnant actress murdered by one of Charles Manson's followers, is accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. He fled the country and has been a fugitive ever since. Polanski became a French citizen and the French government is among his most ardent defenders.

The woman he allegedly raped says she has forgiven him and moved on. She married and has had children. But this is all beside the point. Polanski broke the law, at least twice. He deserves to face an accounting for his alleged rape and his flight from justice. That would be equal justice under the law. We'll see if he gets it.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.