lawful authority
Sanctioned governing right
Lawful authority is the legitimate power to command, enforce rules, or make binding decisions.
The phrase appears in legal contexts where someone must act under proper authorization: The officer was acting under lawful authority when she made the arrest.
It distinguishes sanctioned power from unauthorized action or mere force.
- warrantFormal authorization document
- search warrantDocument permitting lawful premises examination
- court orderBinding judicial directive
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
- legitimacyLawful or rightful status
legal right · government · consent · statute · judiciary · justice · penalty · mandate · rule of law · sovereignty · chain of command · social contract · civil liberties · accountability · injunction · legislature · due process · regulation
- legal defensesself-defense, alibi, affirmative defense, insanity defense, insanity
lawful authoritytyranny
Oppressive, absolute governance
despotism · puppet regime · usurpation · dictatorship · junta
lawful authorityvigilante justice
Unauthorized punishment by civilians
lynch mob · warlordism · taking the law into one's own hands · frontier justice · mob rule
lawful authorityanarchy
Disorder from absent authority
lawlessness · chaos · state of nature · disorder · power vacuum
lawful, authority, lawfully, lawfulness, unlawful, unlawfully, lawless, lawlessness, lawyer