According to MLK, the difference between just and unjust laws is that just laws are laws that men set for the betterment and protection of the individual’s civil rights and liberties. Just laws embody artificial or manufactured codes that align with the moral authority of God. On the flip side of things, unjust laws are laws that men set forth for their gain. It does not square with the moral laws of God. Unjust laws consist of codes that are out of harmony with the moral law. Unjust laws are not ethical, and it inflicts pain and suffering on people. MLK describes an unjust law better when he references St. Augustine’s statements that “an unjust law is no law at all.” In short, just laws seek to protect the people, while unjust laws seek to inflict suffering on some of the people.
It is significant to distinguish between just and unjust laws. While just laws seek to uplift and protect the people, it also promotes an individual’s moral values since its in alignment with the moral authority of God. Unjust laws only offer destruction to a specific population of the people even though it is a law that is supposed to serve all. Unjust laws end up affecting our political systems because of the negative influence it carries
Jim Crow, for me, was an unjust law that was allowed to happen for so long. Even though slavery had ended and black people free, white folks in the south still used Jim Crow to keep and mistreat black people. A just law will the right to an attorney no matter what crime you commit. Everyone deserves representation until proven guilty of a crime.