selective enforcement
Uneven rule application
Selective enforcement is applying rules or laws inconsistently, punishing some violators while ignoring others.
The selection may reflect bias, limited resources, or strategic priorities—but the term usually carries an accusation of unfairness: Critics called it selective enforcement when protesters were arrested but counter-protesters weren't.
Laws against jaywalking or minor drug possession invite selective enforcement because universal application would be impossible.
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- favoritismPreferential treatment of some
- turning a blind eyeIntentionally disregarding something obvious
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
targeting · civil rights · arbitrary · unjust · police · police discretion · ticketing · crackdown · harassment · prejudice · unequal · double-standard · quota · patrol · citation · petty offense · discretion · traffic stop
- bending rulesloopholes, skirting, exploits, workarounds, cutting corners
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
- favoritismfavoritism, nepotism, cronyism, partiality, preferential treatment
- legal biasjudicial bias, conflict of interest
selective enforcementequal justice
Law applied uniformly
equal protection · blind justice · impartial justice · equal treatment · due process
selective, enforcement, select, selection, selections, selected, selecting, selector, selectors