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Legal Theory

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Law

What Color Is The Number Seven? Category Mistakes Analysis And The "Legislative/Non-Legislative" Distinction, John Martinez Nov 2014

What Color Is The Number Seven? Category Mistakes Analysis And The "Legislative/Non-Legislative" Distinction, John Martinez

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.


Essay: Philemon, Marbury, And The Passive-Aggressive Assertion Of Legal Authority, Paul J. Larkin Jr. Nov 2014

Essay: Philemon, Marbury, And The Passive-Aggressive Assertion Of Legal Authority, Paul J. Larkin Jr.

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.


Taking Mistakes Seriously, Paul J. Larkin Jr. Jul 2013

Taking Mistakes Seriously, Paul J. Larkin Jr.

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

Part I of this article discusses the principle that mistake or ignorance of the law is no excuse. It is settled law that no one can defend against a criminal charge on the grounds that he did not intend to flout the law and, at worst, made only a reasonable, honest mistake as to what he was free to do. Part II examines several areas in which the law does precisely the opposite by repeatedly manifesting a willingness to forgive reasonable mistakes by one or more actors in the criminal justice system. Part III then asks whether the developments discussed …


The Forgotten Founding Document: Considering The Ends Of The Law, A. Scott Loveless Mar 2013

The Forgotten Founding Document: Considering The Ends Of The Law, A. Scott Loveless

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

On the difficult moral issues confronting the judiciary today, a long overlooked bit of guidance is provided in the Declaration of Independence, natural law. This paper discusses the moral foundations of the Constitution and their relation to positive law, primarily addressing "same-sex marriage" in the context of Proposition 8 in California, but broadly applicable to other moral/legal conflicts such as abortion and the display of religious texts on public grounds, such as the Ten Commandments. It also challenges the judicial activism evident in many such cases as a judicial violation of the requirements of substantive due process.