Judge David Bazelon Quote - Liberty Quotes Blog

"Members of society must obey the law
because they personally believe
that its commands are justified."

by:	Judge David Bazelon
Source:	his book, Questioning Authory
Rating:
Categories:	Crime, Independence, Individual Rights, Justice, Society, Tolerance
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Reader comments about this quote:

Only if the law secures our rights and is not oppressive to any of the people. -- a taylor, Pittsboro, NC
It is great, and this is obvious, if you understand that he means that, as citizens who do believe, in general, that people should keep the laws, most of which really are there for very good reasons and purposes, then you, yourself, should keep them as well. Remember that this great judge was a champion of liberty, not an excuser of coercion! -- Timothy Ray, Gainesville, FL
I think a better way to phrase this would be, "Members of a society must obey the law because they personally believe that its commands are just." Otherwise, you get into things like, "Justified for whom? For me? For the government? For the current power? For society in general?" -- Anonymous