Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

When one obeys the letter of the law but not the spirit, one is obeying the literal interpretation of the words (the "letter") of the law, but not necessarily the intent of those who wrote the law. (Wikipedia)

Conversely, when one obeys the spirit of the law but not the letter, one is doing what the authors of the law intended, though not necessarily adhering to the literal wording. (Wikipedia)

Locke's most obvious solution to this problem is his doctrine of tacit consent. Simply by walking along the highways of a country a person gives tacit consent to the government and agrees to obey it while living in its territory. This, Locke thinks, explains why resident aliens have an obligation to obey the laws of the state where they reside, though only while they live there. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. (Wikipedia)