There is the law and the Constitution.
There is fairness.
There is raw exercise of political power for political gain.
We are only seeing the third line above in all of this. The first two lines are in play only as levers to achieve the third line; they are not in play as goals by anyone involved. People act like that is not true, because that act allows them to use the law and fairness levers more efficiently, not because law and fairness are their goals.