due process of law

[doo pros-es uhv law]

noun

1. the regular administration of the law, according to which no individual may be denied their legal rights and all laws must conform to fundamental, accepted legal principles, such as the right of the accused to confront their accusers.

due process of law

noun

1. the administration of justice in accordance with established rules and principles

due process of law

1. The principle that an individual cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards. The Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution guarantee that any person accused of a crime must be informed of the charges, be provided with legal counsel, be given a speedy and public trial, enjoy equal protection of the laws, and not be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, unreasonable searches and seizures, double jeopardy, or self-incrimination.

Word History and Origins

Origin of due process of law¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Human Rights Council to appoint independent investigators to scrutinize “kidnapping arrests, prolonged detentions without due process of law and the brutal excessive use of force.”

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She also said Cook had been denied “due process of law” because she was not given a hearing.

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He said these immigrants were given due process of law because they were convicted of crimes and were given a “final order of removal.”

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The order carries a clear message that the justices are troubled by the Trump administration’s pressure to fast-track deportations and by the unwillingness of some judges to protect the rights to due process of law.

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Perhaps nothing captures Trump’s authoritarian agenda better than ICE’s illegal kidnapping and disappearing of hundreds of people or DOGE’s firings or dismissals of some 250,000 federal workers – all without any due process of law.

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