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.
Questions tagged [law]
278 questions
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Did Mueller indict a Russian company that didn't exist?
Conservative author Dinesh D'Souza just tweeted this:
Is Mueller this dumb? Or does he think the press is too dumb to notice he indicted a Russian company that doesn’t even exist?
This is a reference to the company Concord Catering, which special…
Keshav Srinivasan
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Was there a law ever passed that prevented two trains from proceeding at a crossing?
Dumb Laws states that in the state of Washington
When two trains come to a crossing, neither shall go until the other has passed.
In Railway and Locomotive Engineering: A Practical Journal of Railway Motive Power and Rolling Stock, Volume 28 it…
Shelvacu
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Did there use to be a law that made attempted suicide a capital offence punishable by hanging in Britain?
This one seem to be all over trivia lists, but I'm having trouble finding a reference to anything credible. The claim goes something like this:
According to a British law passed in 1845, [attempted] suicide is a very serious crime,death sentence of…
Kit Sunde
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Did an Algerian man sue his new bride for not looking pretty without make-up?
There is a news-story that has been going around:
The Mary Sue
Sunrise
WGN TV
This Emirates 24/7 article is quoted as a source:
An Algerian groom took his bride to court just a day after their marriage, accusing her of not looking as pretty as…
Oddthinking
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Has income tax been found unconstitutional by a court?
Someone told me that there are people who claim that the income tax, and by extension the IRS, is unconstitutional, and that some have won in court using this argument. Is this true?
An example of a prominent claim is the book The Great Income Tax…
ike
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Is duelling legal in Uruguay if both participants are registered blood donors?
I saw the following letter in today's Guardian:
Having just returned from that country, I note one curious fact you missed about Uruguay (Shortcuts, G2, 23 October): duelling is allowed provided that both parties are registered blood donors.
Is…
Tom77
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Has copyright piracy halved in New Zealand since their "three strikes" rule?
According to the BBC article US piracy crackdown delayed until 2013, dated November 29, 2012:
New Zealand claims that piracy has halved since it introduced a "three strikes" rule.
After a little searching, it turns out by "New Zealand" the BBC…
Brian M. Hunt
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Against the law to spray-clean not according to label directions?
I have a bottle of Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner with Bleach, marketed for sale in the United States. Its label reads, in part (and with emphasis removed):
Directions for use: It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent…
msh210
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Can Israeli settlers shoot Palestinians with impunity?
According to one prolific contributor to Yahoo Answers:
So-called "Israeli settlers" can shoot Palestinians at will without fear of prosecution so you do want a lot of doctors,and although it rarely does any good an attorney can at least try to…
user4951
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Was kissing punishable by death in 16th century Naples?
According to Dr Karl:
And in 16th century Naples, in Italy,
kissing was an offence that carried
the death penalty.
Is that true?
Casebash
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Has Dr. Fauci entered the Federal witness protection program?
In a public appearance covered by an NBC News affiliate, there is the following comment by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with context (emphasis mine) via DeSantis announces $20M funding for cybersecurity education in Florida on 2 March 2022:
A few…
Ellie Kesselman
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Did a senior U.S. Justice Department official state that 3- and 4-year-olds can learn immigration law well enough to represent themselves in court?
The following article—dating from March 5, 2016—in The Washington Post titled, “Can a 3-year old represent herself in immigration court? This judge thinks so.” is now making the rounds across the Internet in light of current U.S. immigration policy…
Giacomo1968
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Does Senate Bill 510 (S. 510) have the power to prosecute people for growing their own vegetables
I have heard that S. 510 FDA Food Saftey Modernization Act makes it illegal to grow, share, trade or sell homegrown food.
Does S. 510 make it illegal to grow or trade food?
The two main arguments are that people can no longer keep seeds, and nor can…
going
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Does the US Federal Government want to cut down and burn trees on a property to protect an extinct frog?
Edward Poitevent made a claim on the Tucker Carlson show that the government wants to take his land in Louisiana without paying, cut down all trees and burn it in the name of protecting an extinct frog.
They claim [the frog] was there because they…
ventsyv
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Is it, in some parts of the U.S., easier to get a rifle than to register to vote?
I've seen claims in several places that in some parts of the United States of America, the bureaucratic procedure to register to vote is more difficult/complicated than to get a permit to buy a personal firearm.
Two examples of these claims are as…
gerrit
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