Justice versus Mercy

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice*for all."

*Note that it doesn't say anything about mercy.

Let's not forget that justice entails both reward as well as punishment:

If someone discovers a cure for a disease, they are rewarded with the right to exclusively market that cure and name their own price; but, for a limited amount of time. Thereafter, mercy for those who cannot afford to pay that price results in opening the market to other manufacturers so that competition drives the price down.

Justice is tempered by mercy and it may happen that both are applied to the same person; or, that each attribute is applied to a different person involved. Justice will always be the core value without which few will ever be inclined to show mercy.