Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [law]

Use this tag for claims about the law. This must be almost always be accompanied by a country tag, such as [united-states] to clarify which country's laws the claim is about.

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Does torture work well as an interrogation technique?

Wikipedia's Effectiveness of torture for interrogation says, Torture has been used throughout history for the purpose of obtaining information in interrogation. Some arguments say that it is an effective way of making someone divulge vital…
David Thornley
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Is it illegal to own a rabbit in Queensland unless you're a magician?

From all that is interesting How Bunny Rabbits Took Over Australia — And What The Government Is Doing About It In Queensland, Australia, it’s illegal to own a pet rabbit unless you’re a magician. Why? Because for the past 150 years, rabbits have …
Andrew Grimm
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Did Amazon pay $0 in US taxes in 2018?

Background I saw this article saying that Amazon paid $0 in corporate income tax last year. Is this true or just phrased to sound like they are getting away with paying nothing? Here's the article: Amazon’s $0 corporate income tax bill last year,…
Noah Cristino
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Has the 9th Circuit Court been overturned 80% of the time?

This claim is being made in some parts of the media: The 9th Circuit Court has been overturned 80% of the time. Similar versions abound. Here is another one Why? Because the “reversal rate” of the 9th Circuit is hovering at a solid 80…
Simd
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Does saying "sorry" after an accident count as legal admission of fault?

It is common knowledge that after a car accident (presumably other types too), one shouldn't say they are sorry to the other person. While probably intended as an expression of empathy, the claim is that it can be taken as admission of fault and…
William Grobman
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Is it illegal for regular US citizens to possess or read the Podesta emails published by WikiLeaks?

While referring to the the Podesta emails which were leaked by WikiLeaks this week, CNN's Chris Cuomo said on live TV: Also interesting is, remember: It's illegal to possess these stolen documents. It's different for the media, so everything you…
Lisa B
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Will the 2019 EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market ban memes?

There have been lots of reports recently about how the EU are trying to ban memes. For example: Trusted reviews The European Union (EU) is pressing ahead with efforts to ban online memes under new digital copyright laws, with the controversial…
Jon.G
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Does the Constitution of Bhutan state that 60% of Bhutan must be forested?

Transcription: Did you know? The constitution of Bhutan specifies that 60% of the country must remain forested. -- MightyFacts.com Title and picture is pretty self explanatory. Is the picture right?
bleh
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Is it illegal to refuse US currency for a purchase?

I hear this claim every now and then. That US currency is legal tender and that it is illegal to not accept it. The most recent example of this was on an old episode of 30 Rock: The head and the hair. I was not able to find a clip online, however I…
Joshxtothe4
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Are there vaccine ingredients which may not be disclosed ("hidden", "trade secret", or similar)?

I sometimes encounter people claiming that there are ingredients in vaccines that can be kept secret by the manufacturer. I would be surprised to hear this, because the manufacturers have to conduct studies which show that the vaccine is safe. How…
akraf
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In Massachusetts, can someone be "arrested and fined up to fifty-thousand dollars" for reporting suspicious behavior in a women's bathroom?

A Massachusetts political advertisement No On 3, Keep MA Safe says: What does Massachusetts Question 3 mean to you? It means any man who says he is a woman can enter a women's locker room, dressing room, or bathroom at any time. Even convicted…
Rebecca J. Stones
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Is there a death penalty if you jump off a building (and don't die) in New York?

According to dumblaws.com, in New York (City? State? or both?): The penalty for jumping off a building is death. It is the second most-voted weird law in NY in ranker.com also: If Jumping Off a Building Doesn't Kill You... the City of NYC Will…
ermanen
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Is it "perfectly legal" to walk topless in New York City?

A travel advertisement aired on the radio in Italy states that it is "perfectly legal" to be topless in New York City; is this true? The ad doesn't say anything else useful to the question.
Ciacciu
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Was the Holocaust legal?

In the below image, which has been circulating on social media, it is implied that the Holocaust was legal in the same way that slavery and segregation were legal. Is this true? Was the Holocaust legal?
user34550
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Was it ever illegal to name a pig "Napoleon" in France?

This is an oft-cited "unusual law", e.g. from The Sun: IN FRANCE it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon, almost 200 years after his death. Experts say the odd law exists because ­calling a pig after the emperor would insult a head of state. The best…
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