The burden of the proof is always on the disobedients side. My point about justification is that civil disobedience is justified through a threefold process of public dialogue involving principles, means, and ends. Principles explain why sometimes the law is civilly disobeyed. Means explain how the law is civilly disobeyed. Ends explain what the law is civilly disobeyed for.
Principles stem from our sociobiological nature and configure our world.
The principles naturally bring about the means, and the means bring about the ends. The delicate intertwining of these three elements makes it unwise to evaluate one element independently of the others. Eventually, principles, means and ends are woven together in traditions. To say that principles, means, and ends cannot be evaluated separately does not mean that they cannot be evaluated at all. The Natural History Essays , ed.