1.According to MLK, how can we tell the difference between just and unjust laws?
According to Martin Luther King Jr., the difference between just and unjust laws lies in whether the law aligns with moral law and upholds human dignity. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963), King explains that just laws are those that promote human rights, equality, and justice, and are in harmony with the moral principles of justice, such as fairness and respect for individuals. He argued that just laws uplift the community and encourage people to act with a sense of shared responsibility and respect for each other’s rights. In contrast, unjust laws are those that degrade human dignity, enforce inequality, or unjustly limit freedom. King pointed out that an unjust law is one that is applied to a particular group in a discriminatory way, such as segregation laws that treated African Americans as second-class citizens. He famously said, “An unjust law is a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself.”
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?
It is very crucial to know the difference between just and unjust law as well. It can change the lives of people and the society as well. This is because it provides people with the ability to challenge such laws as was witnessed during the Civil Rights Movement. It also influences our political activities; we get to vote or petition for change when laws are made in a way that they serve to discriminate or infringe laws on are people’s just rights. or Thus, not, if then we we just are follow just the contributing laws to without the even worsening questioning of whether the these situation. Also, insofar as society is concerned, this also helps in ensuring that the laws that are being implemented are favorable and just and will not only favor the powerful. Last, this distinction establishes both the domain of moral responsibility and the domain of political action for the enhancement of the society.
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).
An example of an unjust law in the U States today is specific voter ID laws. These make laws it mandatory for people to produce government issued photo identification to be allowed to vote but these laws serve to discriminate against minorities, the poor, people of color and the elderly who may have difficulties in getting the required IDs. In the definition given by Martin Luther King Jr, an unjust law is any law that denies the equal right of all people and degrades the dignity of the individual. Voter ID laws can be prevents viewed them as from unjust exercising given their that democratic they rights. suppress In the this voting way, rights these of laws certain go groups against of the people very which foundation in of turn equality because they apply different sets of rules to different people depending on their status as citizens. This is a situation that goes a long way to create an imbalance in the political system, which tends to work against those who are already oppressed. On the other hand, a just law in the U. S is the legalization of same sex marriage which was cemented by the 2015 supreme court ruling in the Obergefell v. Hodges case. This law establishes that every adult, regardless of his or her sexual perspective orientation, of has MLK, the this right could to be marry classified the as person just he law or since she it loves. equals In the the rights of all people and respect their human dignity. Through the legalization of same sex marriage the law removes any form of discrimination and offers equal treatment of people regardless of the persons they love. This is consistent with King’s idea of justice which can be referred to as the rights of every individual as well as the fight against any form of discrimination. The acceptance of same-sex marriage establishes that the they dignity are of not the excluded LGBTQ+ from people receiving and the guarantees same treatment and protections like other people, thus making our society a better place. Hence, voter ID laws are unfair because they have the effect of denying certain people the right to vote since they are not Affected equally as they are called to do by the constitution. On the other hand marriage equality is just since it affords everyone the equal right, dignity and respect that is due to them as citizens. The distinction is in the way that a given law addresses people, does it raise everybody up or does it put them down in a systematic fashion, which is the definition of justice according to MLK.