What does Atticus say is a great leveler?

Atticus Finch states that "courts are the great levelers" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 20). People are given the right to a fair trial by jury in the U.S. Constitution. He says that this is the only way in that all people have some level of equality. Even in segregated Alabama, a black man was able to go to court and have a trial. Atticus states that it does not matter whether it...

Atticus Finch states that "courts are the great levelers" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 20). People are given the right to a fair trial by jury in the U.S. Constitution. He says that this is the only way in that all people have some level of equality. Even in segregated Alabama, a black man was able to go to court and have a trial. Atticus states that it does not matter whether it is a small town courthouse or the U.S. Supreme Court. Trial by jury still gives all people a small level of equality. Before stating this, Atticus acknowledges that people are born different. Some are smarter or more talented than others. Some people are born into privilege, while others are not. Despite this, he recognizes the opportunity that the court system gives. He knows that the system in imperfect, despite this. Atticus states how he feels about the court being a leveler. He finds it to be "one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president."