The king cannot confer a favour on one subject to the injury and damage of others.

Explanation

Sovereign favor extended to one person cannot lawfully come at the expense of another's rights — the crown's grace must not operate as a trespass upon the people.

Where this applies

• A state grants one large corporation a tax exemption that shifts millions in tax burden onto small businesses and individual taxpayers — the government cannot confer a financial favor on one party at the direct expense of others.
• A city council grants a developer an exclusive zoning variance that blocks neighboring property owners from developing their own land — sovereign favor to one cannot lawfully injure the rights of others.
• A governor pardons a politically connected contractor who defrauded public funds, effectively denying restitution to the taxpayers he stole from — the executive's grace must not operate as a trespass upon the people's rights.