due process

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun An established course for judicial proceedings or other governmental activities designed to safeguard the legal rights of the individual.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun law A legal concept where a person is ensured all legal rights when deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for a given reason.
• noun law The limits of laws and legal proceedings, so as to ensure a person fairness, justice and liberty.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun (law) the administration of justice according to established rules and principles; based on the principle that a person cannot be deprived of life or liberty or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards