144
votes
Accepted
How would the actions of Hänsel and Gretel in the Grimm tale be interpreted in modern law?
Assuming U.S. Jurisdiction:
In the case of The People vs. Hansel and Gretel Holzfaller:
Ms. Gretel Holzfaller is charged with the following:
1 Count of Murder in the First Degree (Murder of Ms. ...
- 22.4k
60
votes
Accepted
Is "My Cousin Vinny" dismissal actually possible?
This is entirely possible in a number of different motions that could have been made. At this point, Vinny had destroyed the Prosecutor's eyewitnesses by showing they had issues that called their ...
- 22.4k
56
votes
Is it true that it's not illegal for a parent to sell their 13-year-old child to a drug dealer?
This is totally, flat out wrong. Quite frankly, it is immoral, although not illegal, for the producers to even cause some viewers to believe it is true.
The United States criminal code (Title 18) in ...
- 185k
53
votes
Accepted
If vampires were real, what would one who broke into someone's home to drink their blood be charged with?
Breaking and entering, just by entering a private premise without permission.
Causing bodily harm, possibly grievous harm, depending on what consequences it has for the victim and how the jurisdiction ...
- 7,168
50
votes
Were USA states really this disconnected in 1964, and was bigamy really punished by death?
I'm thirding the "very plausible" on the disconnect.
Something to keep in mind is that the US is big. Really big.
It's one of the top things people who aren't familiar with the US just don'...
- 2,902
50
votes
Accepted
Is it true that it's not illegal for a parent to sell their 13-year-old child to a drug dealer?
I don't know of any crime specifically addressing the sale of a child, but a good prosecutor rarely needs such a narrowly tailored solution to bring charges against anyone.
In real life, I imagine a ...
- 55.8k
40
votes
If someone stops a potential murder by subduing a gunman, what would be the possible consequences?
He would be thanked and sent on his way. We don't generally punish people for preventing murders, even if they are rogue cops or soldiers.
If you wanted him to plausibly land in legal peril, he'd ...
- 55.8k
38
votes
Were USA states really this disconnected in 1964, and was bigamy really punished by death?
Were USA states really this disconnected in 1964
Yes.
Indeed they still are quite disconnected by the standards of other federated nations. US states have always jealousy guarded their autonomy. ...
- 191k
30
votes
Accepted
What is a "Night Court"?
A "night court" is simply a court that operates outside the ordinary business hours for the convenience of people who have work during those hours. They aren't common and are mostly found in ...
- 185k
28
votes
Would Georgie’s “Teddy Bear Casino” from Young Sheldon actually be legal?
Potentially -- this is almost exactly how Pachinko parlors in Japan operate, with non-cash prizes being given out, but with "known" nearby establishments (sometime located in the same ...
- 8,707
27
votes
Is "My Cousin Vinny" dismissal actually possible?
Such dismissals are uncommon, but they are permissible. Rules of criminal procedure vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but they will generally permit the government to dismiss charges when it ...
- 55.8k
27
votes
Accepted
Can a private person deceive a defendant to obtain evidence?
england-and-wales
Admission of the confession is at the discretion of the court
PACE s78 gives the court the discretion to decide on the admissibility of confessions obtained if it appears to the ...
- 191k
26
votes
Can a private person deceive a defendant to obtain evidence?
united-states
The confession is inadmissible, as it is protected by attorney-client privilege. Although Nirmal was in fact not an attorney at all, the conversation would have been privileged if the ...
- 28.6k
25
votes
What is a "Night Court"?
Night Court is set in Manhattan. The Arraignments part of Manhattan's Criminal Court (but not the Desk Appearance Tickets section) is open 7 nights per week until 1:00 AM.
The NYC Criminal Court ...
- 453
23
votes
Accepted
Who owns the ancient alien bases hidden underneath Antarctica?
The Antarctic Treaty doesn't establish ownership or sovereignty
Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty makes clear that the Treaty is not a renunciation by any contracting party of any basis of claim to ...
- 35.6k
23
votes
What would you be charged with for covering up a rightful death?
Probably murder.
Because "victim 2 was then shot by this man in self defense" hasn't been determined by a neutral third party investigation or jury - it is just his own rationale for ...
- 3,369
22
votes
If vampires were real, what would one who broke into someone's home to drink their blood be charged with?
Cannibalism, at least in Idaho:
Any person who wilfully ingests the flesh or blood of a human being is guilty of cannibalism.
— https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title18/t18ch50/...
- 331
21
votes
What is the minimum sentence for murder in Japan?
Article 199 of the Penal Code, as it appears from changes up to 2017, says:
人を殺した者は、死刑又は無期若しくは五年以上の懲役に処する。A person who kills another person is punished by the death penalty or imprisonment for life ...
- 2,774
20
votes
How would the actions of Hänsel and Gretel in the Grimm tale be interpreted in modern law?
In Germany children below the age of 14 like Hänsel and Gretel cannot be punished for any crime. The prosecution should bring the entire situation to the attention of the family courts, which might ...
- 13.2k
20
votes
Accepted
Is it allowed to non-consensually submit someone's diary as evidence?
united-states
Is a personal text (like a diary), submitted without the consent of
the author, admissible evidence?
Usually, it is admissible evidence. There is no legal right to keep your diary ...
- 185k
20
votes
Accepted
In Ratatouille, did Linguini have a legally legitimate reason to fire Skinner?
It's been a while since I've seen the film (and what I remember of it is the ending), but if I recall, Skinner was conspiring to conceal evidence that the restaurant was legally Linguini's so that ...
- 22.4k
18
votes
If someone stops a potential murder by subduing a gunman, what would be the possible consequences?
Would the cops arrest the man for vigilantism?
There is a defense of others justification in the criminal codes that expressly justifies this kind of conduct.
Will this go to trial or would he be ...
- 185k
18
votes
If a person is tried for fraud for practicing law without a degree, and the verdict is not guilty, would double jeopardy prevent future fraud charges?
No
The charge would more likely be "Unlicensed practice of law" (UPL), possibly in addition to a charge of fraud. Each time that Rose engages in UPL would be a separate offense, and could ...
- 112k
18
votes
Were USA states really this disconnected in 1964, and was bigamy really punished by death?
Yes, the Disconnect is Plausible
The US has always been quite localized in the collection and retention of vital statistics. Even today there is no central repository or database of such information; ...
- 112k
18
votes
Can a parent insist that her child (teen) stop assisting police?
E can leave at any time
E is not detained and there is no basis to detain her. As a child, that decision can be made by a parent.
E can be subpoenaed to testify but she does not have to talk to law ...
- 191k
17
votes
Is it legal to put a death row inmate in harm's way if their execution is near?
In the United States, execution methods must be authorized by law. The currently permitted execution methods vary from state to state. According to the death penalty information center, the methods ...
- 7,168
16
votes
How would the actions of Hänsel and Gretel in the Grimm tale be interpreted in modern law?
In the UK, the key here would be the presence of evidence to back up Gretel's claim of self-defence mitigation, in the sense that she was motivated by the need to prevent a serious crime from ...
- 3,926
16
votes
If someone stops a potential murder by subduing a gunman, what would be the possible consequences?
Vigilantism is when someone actively seeks out people they consider to be "evil doers". Someone who chances across a crime, and uses just enough force to prevent the crime, is not a ...
- 5,391
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible