the law of the land

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the body of legally enforceable rules that governs a particular country or jurisdiction and must be obeyed by all persons within that territory regardless of their personal views, social status, or disagreement with specific provisions; the phrase, with roots in Magna Carta's clause thirty-nine which guaranteed that no free man would be deprived of his rights except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land, expresses the principle that the legal system operates as a binding and universal authority that supersedes individual preferences and applies equally to all, whether they hold private power, religious authority, or social privilege