Justice is evenhandedness and fairness, so it cannot exist without equality of treatment under like conditions. For example, each citizen is given one vote in an election. The wealthy are not given two or more votes because they are rich, nor are the poor given none because of their poverty. The principle of equality has often been misunderstood. It was a moral, a political, and legal principle.
People naturally differ in their physical and mental abilities, talents, and tastes and preferences.
What political equality demands is that everyone must be treated under law with the same consideration and respect. This means, essentially, equality of opportunity. Equality of opportunity exists within a context of freedom and the removal of legal and social discrimination. If equality does not refer to a sameness of natural gifts, it also does not suggest sameness of social condition. A free society allows differences of social condition to develop as long as the opportunities to reach any level are equal.