Law: Understanding the difference between what the law is and what it should be

Started by Martinus, September 29, 2009, 09:53:44 AM

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crazy canuck

Quote from: ulmont on September 29, 2009, 11:00:32 AM
Quote from: grumbler on September 29, 2009, 10:53:38 AM
It is easier to convince someone what the law should say than what it does say. 

I think I disagree.


I am with Grumbler on this.  Much of my job entails advising people what the law is (ie what a court would likely rule given a certain set of facts).  That can be very difficult at times and often we cannot advise with 100% certainty what might happen due to the imprecise nature of law.

It is much easier to say what I think the result ought to be.

Josephus

Quote from: Berkut on September 29, 2009, 09:58:44 AM

Is it ferengi or latta law when you flat out lie about what people say in other threads?

I never liked the Ferengi. They are too capitalistic. And they have big ears.
Civis Romanus Sum<br /><br />"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." Jack Layton 1950-2011

The Minsky Moment

Quote from: Martinus on September 29, 2009, 10:48:46 AM
[Plea bargains are very rare in Poland and there is very little discretion in them. They are also a fairly recent introduction to Polish legal system and many people oppose them as an offense against justice and fairness.

Is there some other mechanism to encourage guilty pleas or the equivalent?
The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists.
--Joan Robinson

Razgovory

Quote from: The Minsky Moment on September 29, 2009, 12:33:48 PM
Quote from: Martinus on September 29, 2009, 10:48:46 AM
[Plea bargains are very rare in Poland and there is very little discretion in them. They are also a fairly recent introduction to Polish legal system and many people oppose them as an offense against justice and fairness.

Is there some other mechanism to encourage guilty pleas or the equivalent?

Torture.
I've given it serious thought. I must scorn the ways of my family, and seek a Japanese woman to yield me my progeny. He shall live in the lands of the east, and be well tutored in his sacred trust to weave the best traditions of Japan and the Sacred South together, until such time as he (or, indeed his house, which will periodically require infusion of both Southern and Japanese bloodlines of note) can deliver to the South it's independence, either in this world or in space.  -Lettow April of 2011

Raz is right. -MadImmortalMan March of 2017

Ed Anger

Quote from: Razgovory on September 29, 2009, 12:36:17 PM
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on September 29, 2009, 12:33:48 PM
Quote from: Martinus on September 29, 2009, 10:48:46 AM
[Plea bargains are very rare in Poland and there is very little discretion in them. They are also a fairly recent introduction to Polish legal system and many people oppose them as an offense against justice and fairness.

Is there some other mechanism to encourage guilty pleas or the equivalent?

Torture.

Exposure to marti is a war crime.  :mad:
Stay Alive...Let the Man Drive

The Minsky Moment

Quote from: Martinus on September 29, 2009, 11:03:37 AM
The problem with debating what the law is on a forum like Languish is that with people coming from a multitude of jurisdictions, it is often quite futile.

Americans have that problem already, what with 51+ jurisdictions to keep track of even before the RoTW comes into play.
The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists.
--Joan Robinson

ulmont

Quote from: crazy canuck on September 29, 2009, 12:31:18 PM
Quote from: ulmont on September 29, 2009, 11:00:32 AM
Quote from: grumbler on September 29, 2009, 10:53:38 AM
It is easier to convince someone what the law should say than what it does say. 

I think I disagree.

Quote from: crazy canuck on September 29, 2009, 12:31:18 PM
It is much easier to say what I think the result ought to be.

Much easier to say, yes.  Much easier to *convince someone else*?  I think not.

The Brain

Women want me. Men want to be with me.

C.C.R.

Quote from: The Brain on September 29, 2009, 01:03:07 PM
The law should be like a wonderful garden.

In the sense that you can pick & choose from many wonderful ingredients to ingest, or in the sense that you can kill all of the rabbits that you want without repercussions?

:huh:

The Brain

Quote from: C.C.R. on September 29, 2009, 01:05:41 PM
Quote from: The Brain on September 29, 2009, 01:03:07 PM
The law should be like a wonderful garden.

In the sense that you can pick & choose from many wonderful ingredients to ingest, or in the sense that you can kill all of the rabbits that you want without repercussions?

:huh:

Probably.
Women want me. Men want to be with me.


crazy canuck

Quote from: ulmont on September 29, 2009, 12:57:04 PM
Much easier to say, yes.  Much easier to *convince someone else*?  I think not.

I think I can easily convince you that the law ought to be fair, equitable etc etc etc.  What the law is in regarding to particular facts is realm of where disagreements occur.  Remember in the Common law, arguing about what the law is also coupled with what the law ought to be.  Good lawyers are always trying to move the law in favour of their clients in any given case.


HisMajestyBOB

Quote from: The Brain on September 29, 2009, 01:03:07 PM
The law should be like a wonderful garden.

Too much work to maintain and eventually it ends up overrun with weeds and forgotten?
Three lovely Prada points for HoI2 help

lustindarkness

I'm sorry to tell you we will never stop doubting you are a lawyer simply because we know it bothers you. :)
Grand Duke of Lurkdom

garbon

"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.