Lex iniusta non est lex

Lex iniusta non est lex (Latin: An unjust law is no law at all), is a standard legal maxim. It originates with St. Augustine,^[1] and was used by St. Thomas Aquinas.^[2]

This view is strongly associated with natural law theorists, including John Finnis and Lon Fuller.^[3]

References

1. The Encyclopedia of language and linguistics, Volume 4
2. Norman Kretzmann, Lex Iniusta Non Est Lex: Laws on Trial in Aquinas' Court of Conscience, 33 Am. J. Juris. 99 (1988).
3. 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.).