81
votes
Why are there no laws rewarding people
There are plenty of laws that reward people
These include:
Literal rewards - payment for information leading to an arrest/conviction.
Welfare systems - the government is literally paying money in ...
- 198k
72
votes
Accepted
Who is supposed to teach the law to the citizens?
The answer from @user6726 is a good one. But, I'd like to add to it by pointing out that the body of law applicable to an individual is usually much, much smaller than the entire body of law. I'm a ...
- 194k
65
votes
Accepted
Self incrimination during medical examination
If such conversations are reported, it can place the suspect in a dilemma.
Consider a man who appears to have overdosed on illegal narcotics. He is taken to the hospital, and the doctor asks what ...
- 29k
51
votes
Accepted
Is it a real legal principle that any ambiguity in a contract is interpreted to the benefit of the side that did not write the contract?
Contra proferentem
However, it's a principle that is rarely applied in practice since it's at the end of a long line of judicial reasoning that gets applied first.
Ambiguity in contract provisions are ...
- 198k
42
votes
Why can't the current legal system handle liability for harm caused by artificial intelligence?
Real-world situations are rarely so clear-cut
Let's say, hypothetically, that I'm in the driver's seat of a car. The company told me that the car has "Full Self Driving" capabilities based ...
- 10.2k
32
votes
Accepted
Everything which is not forbidden is allowed
It's generally correct in the American system that everything not forbidden is permitted.
But the law you're looking at isn't really an exception. You have the legal right to tamper with evidence if ...
- 57.2k
30
votes
Is there any merit in continuing to fight a trial despite an overwhelming chance of losing and there being no plea deal?
Yes.
Juries aren't terribly accurate. There is an irreducible chance that no matter how clear the outcome should be that the jury will get it wrong. Based upon a review of the academic literature on ...
- 194k
29
votes
Who is supposed to teach the law to the citizens?
This is a difficult question in the philosophy of law, which in some views of what "law" is, is outside the scope of law (that's the view that "the law is whatever is enacted by the government" ...
- 210k
26
votes
Neither guilty or not guilty
Your question assumes the omniscient-observer perspective, that there is someone who knows everything but doesn't interfere in human affairs. Thus the premise; the person committed the crime, nobody ...
- 210k
24
votes
Is natural law a type of common law?
No, Natural law is not a type or subset of Common Law
Natural Law is derived from what some person thinks is a logical and obvious rule, or what some person thinks is God's Law. There are many ...
- 113k
24
votes
Why are there no laws rewarding people
In the UK, judges sitting on criminal cases can award cash sums to individuals for exceptionally public-spirited actions which have come to light during the trial. For many years the customary sum was ...
- 1,008
20
votes
Why can't the current legal system handle liability for harm caused by artificial intelligence?
Error is not always Wrongdoing
The OP writes of "wrongdoings of algorithms". To me a "wrongdoing" is something that would be criminal, or at least involve civil liability. But not ...
- 113k
17
votes
Everything which is not forbidden is allowed
@bdb484's answer is good and correct. I'm coming in with the advantage of its commentary to address the questions generated there; this is just too long for a comment.
I own a kitchen knife. I can do ...
- 311
15
votes
Why are there no laws rewarding people
Boy, the "yeah-but" gang just hates this question. I added a bit at the end about how to see for yourself.
The rule of law exists to replace any of these: { violence, extortion, corruption ...
14
votes
Neither guilty or not guilty
It makes a different whether "charges are dropped" or whether there is an actual trial and the person has been acquitted. It also makes a difference under what jurisdiction this occurs.
In ...
- 113k
12
votes
Accepted
Why do legal documents often have a place next to the date?
The validity of the execution of a contract is governed by the law of the place where it was signed. A location next to the date establishes that place and hence often, the governing law for the ...
- 194k
12
votes
Accepted
Is there "evidence-based" practice in law?
The primary field of research where the kind of studies you are thinking about are done is often called "empirical legal research."
There is a fairly rich literature, that a substantial ...
- 194k
10
votes
Is there any merit in continuing to fight a trial despite an overwhelming chance of losing and there being no plea deal?
The defendant cannot be sure that the evidence will leave the trier of fact (judge or jury) with no reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime. Thus, the defendant can only "know&...
- 43.1k
9
votes
What if a citizen does not accept all laws?
I am not sure what you mean by "accept". A citizen need not agree that any particular law is desirable, or good policy, or even rational. What a citizen must do is comply with all laws, or ...
- 113k
9
votes
Is there any merit in continuing to fight a trial despite an overwhelming chance of losing and there being no plea deal?
In the English legal system you get a small bonus for pleading guilty early. Since that might equate (in a murder trial) to less than a few months of additional jail time after a potential sentence of ...
- 3,956
8
votes
Accepted
Legal remedies if a lower court ignores stare decisis?
The alternative is the same whether just one lower court or many lower courts ignore SCOTUS precedent. An aggrieved parts will appeal the lower court ruling, and the matter will work its way up the ...
- 210k
8
votes
Why can't the current legal system handle liability for harm caused by artificial intelligence?
Any system that might endanger people must be reasonably safe. In the UK the likelihood of an accident must be "As Low As Reasonably Possible" (ALARP). In the event of an accident it is for ...
- 13k
7
votes
Neither guilty or not guilty
The question "how is this explained legally" is worth answering.
Its not the same as "how does guilty/not guilty work", or even the "not proven" verdict in Scottish law.
...
- 3,179
7
votes
Neither guilty or not guilty
As someone that has served on a criminal jury at a criminal trial, I can say that the verdicts "guilty" and "not guilty" don't literally mean that.
The jury isn't actually judging ...
- 546
7
votes
How can one utilize an "objective observer", if one cannot be such?
The objective observer is not a real person
She is one of a number of imaginary people who are used in law to inform judges and jurors how they should intellectually engage with a legal issue. We may ...
- 198k
7
votes
Why can't the current legal system handle liability for harm caused by artificial intelligence?
The involvement of AI is irrelevant to liability; what actually happened is.
Let's say a company uses an AI during their hiring process to eliminate potential employees who are not suitable. And it ...
- 32.9k
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