Final answer:
The concept referred to as 'due process' guarantees that the government must respect all legal rights owed to a person and is a critical component of the rule of law, ensuring fair treatment and process by the judiciary and government entities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept that laws are enforced only through accepted, codified procedures is known as due process. Due process is a fundamental legal principle that ensures fairness in the administration of justice and protects individuals' rights by requiring the government to respect all legal rights owed to a person according to the law. It is anchored in the rule of law, ensuring laws are clear, public, fair, enforced, and applicable to all members of society, thus balancing government power with individual rights.
Due process includes both procedural and substantive elements. Procedural due process ensures that the written guidelines for how the government interacts with an individual are followed, while substantive due process upholds the individual's right to fair treatment when interacting with the government. In the United States, the due process clause of the Constitution provides that no one shall "be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law," signifying its importance in legal and governmental actions.