Lex iniusta non est Lex - wikipedia Lex iniusta non est Lex Lex iniusta lex non est ( English : An unjust law is no law at all ), is a standard legal maxim. Originating with St. Augustine, the motto was used by St. Thomas Aquinas and quoted by Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement to describe racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. This view is strongly associated with natural law theorists, including John Finnis and Lon Fuller. References Jump up ^ The Encyclopedia of language and linguistics, Volume 4 Jump up ^ Norman Kretzmann, Lex Iniusta Non Est Lex : Laws on Trial in Aquinas ' Court of Conscience, 33 Am. J. Juris. 99 ( 1988 ). Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I - II, q. 96, a. 4, c. Jump up ^ `` Letter from a Birmingham Jail ( King, Jr. ) ''. www.africa.upenn.edu. Jump up ^ Brian Bix, `` Jurisprudence : Theory and Context '', ( Sweet&Maxwell 2009 ) 70 Sources Law and Morality, Edited by Kenneth Einar Himma, Seattle Pacific University, U.S. and Brian Bix, University of Minnesota, U.S. Philosophical theory and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, William Sweet ( ed. ). Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lex_iniusta_non_est_lex&oldid=783421044 '' Categories : Latin legal terminology Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 2 June 2017, at 05 : 19. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who said an unjust law is no law at all
Answer: St. Augustine