[PeterisP]

Rule of law is essentially about process for resolving disputes. In this case, it doesn't seem to be any dispute - it seems that the community had came to a consensus (almost unanimous if we discount McElroy himself and his wife Trena) about what how they wanted things to be.

[habitue]

Rule of law is not only about the practice of resolving disputes, though that's important, it's also about the belief that the process is what is used to handle criminals like McElroy. If that belief is shaken, it's much more damaging than if the system itself is a bit inefficient or corrupt but people still believe in it.

[rocqua]

There are two perspectives here. The outer perspective is 'should we condemn the actions taken here as outsiders'.

The other, inner perspective is 'would you have participated in the killing, or at least be okay with refusing to testify against the killer?'

I think it might be okay for the judgement of the situation from the different perspectives to be inconsistent.

[PeterisP]

I feel that this reverses cause and consequence - in this scenario it's not that this lynching would damage the belief in the legal process, but rather than the lynching happened because of (justified) disbelief in the legal process.