1. According to MLK, how can we tell the difference between just and unjust laws? Understanding this questions is the most important part of this module, and I will ask it again during our second exam. As defined by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in “Letter to Birmingham,” “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is “a code that is out of harmony with the moral law” (King 3). In other words, a just law is the right the vote, while an unjust law is not a real law, or even a law at all, but violation to human rights.
  2. In your view, is this an important distinction (between just and unjust laws), do you think it makes a difference in the way someone (as an individual, or our society as a whole) lives their lives? Can it affect our politics? There exists a significant differentiation between fair and unfair laws. This distinction has a profound effect on the way an individual perceives and leads their life. It is important to understand the concept of unjust laws, mostly. As Martin Luther king states in his letter, “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian Freedom Fighters did in Hungary was ‘illegal.’ It was ‘Illegal’ to aid and comfort a jew in Hitler’s Germany. Even so, I am sure that, have I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my jewish brothers” (King 4).
  3. Based on our discussion of Question 1, give an example each, of an unjust and just law, in the US today. Explain what makes it unjust or just (using MLK’s definition of those two types of laws). A just law in today’s United States is marriage equality. This law is considered just because it is inclusive to every citizen and does not promote discrimination. An example of an unjust law today is the money bail system. While it could be helpful for the wealthy, the criminal justice system often is built to tear down the humanity of people of color in low-income communities. Meaning, the system does not help those who are truly in need and tends to be unfair, not equal. So no matter the crime, money bail is a pricetag for someone’s freedom.

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