Social Justice, the Constitution, and the Republican Tradition of Liberty

Chasity is a new voice for old school Republican values.

“Today we remember a man whose resistance changed America forever.”

Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we honor a man who understood something fundamental about this country:

Justice is not granted by power — it is demanded by the people.

That belief is not partisan. It is constitutional.

Nearly six decades later, Americans are still working to secure the principles Dr. King fought for:

• Equality under the law

• Due process

• Constitutional rights

• Freedom and justice for all

Dr. King did not rely on mob rule or chaos.He relied on the Constitution.

Specifically:

• the First Amendment

• the Fourteenth Amendment

• and the courts

That approach is not radical. It is textbook constitutional conservatism.

A Republican Tradition of Protest and Restraint

The Republican Party itself was founded as a resistance movement.

Republicans led abolition.Republicans defended Reconstruction.Republicans authored and enforced the Fourteenth Amendment, guaranteeing due process and equal protection under the law.

For generations, Republicans invoked the Constitution to restrain government abuse, not excuse it.

Peaceful protest is not a left-wing idea. It is an American one.

The First Amendment protects:

• speech

• assembly

• and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances

Those protections exist precisely for moments when citizens oppose government action.

Law, Order, and the Constitutional Line

There is a line — and the Constitution draws it.

• Peaceful protest is not insurrection

• Criticism of power is not rebellion

• Assembly is not a threat

What constitutional conservatives do not support is:

• riots

• lawlessness

• destruction of property

• coercion

Federal officials are bound by the Constitution just like everyone else.

They may not:

• retaliate against lawful speech

• target people for political expression

• use force — especially lethal force — without immediate necessity

When peaceful civilians are harmed for exercising constitutional rights, that is not law and order.

That is a constitutional violation.

Limited Government Requires Active Citizens

The Constitution anticipated abuse of power. That is why it protects protest, due process, and accountability.

The remedy to government overreach is not submission.

It is:

• civic pressure

• courts

• exposure

• participation

Silence is not respect. Silence enables abuse.

Limited government only works when citizens are willing to defend liberty, even when it is inconvenient.

The Constitution Is Clear

If people are peacefully protesting and the government responds with unlawful force, the Constitution is on the side of the people, not the state.

That isn’t liberal. That isn’t radical.

That is America functioning as designed.

If you believe the Constitution still matters, don’t sit this out.

Participate. Speak. Vote. Hold power accountable — especially in the primaries.

About the Candidate

I’m Chasity Wedgeworth, and I’m running for U.S. Congress in Texas Congressional District 13.

You’ll find my name on the Republican primary ballot against Ronny Jackson on March 3rd.