Sentence:  In that knowledge I realized that while I lacked any legal authority, I already possessed all the necessary <WSD>moral authority</WSD> to confront and interview Watson for his crimes. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The right or power to act (or direct others to act), based on the belief that the actor is moral, rather than on the actor having or needing some formal power to do so.