R: Follow the Law Rather Than Conscience

With the flare-ups over the past two years in debates over whether government should be able to mandate behavior that it sees as necessary for the public good on the part of unaffiliated organizations, the question of whether even First Amendment protections are second to an orderly polity is once again in the foreground of public discourse. Our debate this week will center around the question of justice, whether there are certain inviolable rights (and from where they might come), and to what extent following what individuals deem to be unjust laws is necessary for the sake of the preservation of law and order.