higher law
noun
: a principle of divine or moral law that is considered to be superior to constitutions and enacted legislation
Examples of higher law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In appealing to the 14th Amendment, the Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act appeals to a higher law; the U.S. Constitution.
—
Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
There is no higher law of overriding morality, and there's also no responsibility.
—CBS News, 13 July 2024
Sister Megan Rice and her compatriots, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed, declared this an act of protest and love in the service of a higher law, but the incident prompted a two-week shutdown of the facility, and they were charged and convicted of intending to endanger the national defense.
—Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2021
Measured against the sweep of Anglo-American legal history, judicial review—the power of unelected judges to invalidate, as contrary to higher law, an act of the legislature—was a radical development.
—Raymond Kethledge, WSJ, 29 Nov. 2021
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Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
There is no higher law of overriding morality, and there's also no responsibility.
—CBS News, 13 July 2024
Sister Megan Rice and her compatriots, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed, declared this an act of protest and love in the service of a higher law, but the incident prompted a two-week shutdown of the facility, and they were charged and convicted of intending to endanger the national defense.
—Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2021
Measured against the sweep of Anglo-American legal history, judicial review—the power of unelected judges to invalidate, as contrary to higher law, an act of the legislature—was a radical development.
—Raymond Kethledge, WSJ, 29 Nov. 2021
See All Example Sentences for higher law
Cite this Entry
“Higher law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/higher%20law. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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