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A cognitive bias where one defers moral or political judgment by claiming that “the law has to change first” before any action can be taken or any evaluation can be made. It treats existing law as the ultimate moral boundary, ignoring that law itself is socially constructed and often lags behind ethical progress. The bias is often used to justify inaction: if something is legal, it’s permissible; if it’s illegal, it’s wrong—without examining whether the law itself is just. In practice, Legality Bias shuts down critical engagement with injustice by hiding behind positive law, making legal change a prerequisite for any change at all.
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