According to Dr. King in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the easiest way to tell the difference between a just and an unjust law is to look at its moral foundation. A just law aligns with moral law and uplifts human personality. It is a rule that a majority group makes but is also perfectly willing to follow themselves. On the flip side, an unjust law degrades human dignity like segregation did. King points out that an unjust law is usually a rule that a majority power forces a minority to follow, but exempts itself from. He also notes that a law is automatically unjust if it was passed by a system where the minority was completely blocked from voting or participating in the first place.

In my view, this distinction is incredibly important for how we live our lives and run our society. If we just blindly accept that “the law is the law,” we lose our ethical compass. King famously reminds us that everything Hitler did in Germany was technically legal. If individuals do not look past legal codes to see actual morality, society can slide into protecting awful things just because they are written down as rules. This affects our politics completely. It means political change should not just be about winning elections or passing bills; it has to be about whether those bills actually protect human dignity. It gives citizens the right and the responsibility to protest and demand better from our government.

For a modern example of an unjust law, look at strict voter ID and polling restrictions that cut back on mail in drop boxes or early voting hours in specific zip codes. Using King’s definition, this is unjust because it is a power majority creating obstacles that disproportionately target minority, low income, or student voters. It is a way to quietly dilute their political power without their input, which fails King’s test of basic democratic fairness.

For a modern example of a just law, look at the Americans with Disabilities Act, also known as the ADA. This law requires public spaces and workplaces to provide accommodations like ramps or elevators. Using King’s definition, this is a just law because it actively uplifts human personality. It restores dignity and equal access to people who would otherwise be shut out of society, and it applies to everyone equally, creating a standard of fairness that the whole community shares.