What should we do when the law and morality collide?

A sign with a reference to US President Donald Trump is seen among flowers and other messages at a makeshift memorial for Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old woman fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 15, 2026. [AFP]

During the just-concluded interviews of judges to the Court of Appeal, an interesting question was posed to one of the learned hopefuls. He was asked whether there are instances where law and morality collide and to give examples, if any. It was intriguing to watch him struggle with this question because in truth, as he put it, it is akin to the age-old chicken and egg question: Which comes first?

Every day, situations arise that pit morality against the law. Moments where the law should ordinarily prevail, yet morality quietly but firmly takes the day. And others where morality takes a beating so that the law may triumph.