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.

278 questions
14
votes
1 answer

Did Lady Godiva ride to the town of Coventry naked?

"The story of this 11th century english noblewoman is that her mean husband the Earl Leofric raised taxes on the townspeople of Coventry which Lady Godiva, and not surprisingly the locals, thought were too high. She badgered her husband and…
Renan
  • 2,549
  • 5
  • 19
  • 31
14
votes
1 answer

Did a 1982 Zimbabwean law prohibit jokes about President Canaan Banana’s name?

It is widely reported that a 1982 Zimbabwean statute prohibited jokes about Canaan Banana’s name. I’m not sure that that’s true. Is it? The Economist: As head of state, Mr Banana never really commanded respect. His name did not help, and in 1982 a…
wolvercote
  • 143
  • 5
14
votes
0 answers

Has anyone ever been found either criminally or civilly liable for giving advice on a forum for plumbing/electrical/hvac/other?

I've seen on several forums (and/or members thereof) around trades where they say they don't give advice to non-pros because they're afraid the amateur will do it wrong and they'll be found liable. I've tried googling this question to see if it's…
Dean MacGregor
  • 518
  • 2
  • 13
14
votes
1 answer

Has Disney sued itself and won?

In this video Deadmau5 claims that: There are parts of Disney that actually sue other parts of Disney, and win. Is this true and what are the details of these court cases?
HEGX64
  • 243
  • 2
  • 6
14
votes
1 answer

Is this graphic comparing punishments between ISIS and Saudi Arabia accurate?

I found the following image on a reddit thread. How accurate is this comparison?
user39226
  • 555
  • 1
  • 4
  • 9
14
votes
1 answer

Does US law leave walk-shoveling homeowners open to lawsuit more than those who don't shovel at all?

The argument is that by trying (and failing) to maintain your walkways, you're responsible for accidents that happen there, while if you don't make any attempt at all, any accident or injury is an Act of God. It's possibly state-to-state, but is…
Dave Rutledge
  • 251
  • 1
  • 7
14
votes
1 answer

Did India declare dolphins "non-human person" status?

This story did the rounds at the start of the year, and I see it getting quoted again now in comments in various news sites. Here is Daily Kos's quote of a press release: “Whereas cetaceans in general are highly intelligent and sensitive, and…
Ken Y-N
  • 2,264
  • 2
  • 24
  • 33
14
votes
2 answers

Did this US judge rule that poker is a game of skill and not chance?

I just read a NY Times article which claims that a US Judge ruled that poker is a game of skill and not one of chance. In a ruling that goes to the heart of what it means to play poker, Judge Jack B. Weinstein tossed out the conviction and…
Kenshin
  • 3,146
  • 5
  • 25
  • 50
14
votes
2 answers

Does having a jury increase the chance of justice being served?

This claim popped up in a discussion on Hacker News where it was claimed that if a legal system has a jury it's more likely it will be just. As one commenter put it: [..] jury is not as easily bought, harder to threaten, and better at ironing…
Kit Sunde
  • 18,636
  • 12
  • 93
  • 127
13
votes
0 answers

Does California have a dress code for drivers?

Many "crazy law" sources claim that California motor vehicle law contains a bizarre sartorial proscription. On CNN.com, the article "Do you know why I pulled you over?" by Craig Howie claims: Some antiquated state driving laws are flat-out crazy.…
Robert Columbia
  • 3,396
  • 3
  • 20
  • 43
13
votes
1 answer

Does decriminalising sex work result in increased trafficking and organised crime?

The Australian Christian Lobby sent out a campaign in relation to a proposed law to decriminalise prostitution. Part of the campaign against the law is that it will increase trafficking and organised crime. Is this the case? Evidence is clear from…
user1605665
  • 6,751
  • 6
  • 27
  • 48
13
votes
1 answer

Is it illegal for pharmacists to tell their patients that their drugs are cheaper than their co-pay if they pay cash without using their insurance?

I read in the news article Why do the insured pay more for prescriptions? (mirror): Eight states (including Texas) have enacted legislation authorizing pharmacists to tell their patients that their drugs would be cheaper if they just paid cash…
Franck Dernoncourt
  • 7,224
  • 4
  • 33
  • 76
13
votes
1 answer

Is it illegal to leave your house without underwear in Thailand?

There are some other strange laws in Thailand but this seemed to be the most "interesting" one to me. How are they even going to find out? Are they going to observe your bulge? There are a lot of sources you can find where this law is…
ermanen
  • 1,628
  • 2
  • 15
  • 16
13
votes
3 answers

Can better lawyers achieve better judgements for their clients?

This claim is frequently heard in news (and especially in TV and movies). Especially in connotation with big companies and rich individuals - "They'll get the best lawyers money can buy, and they'll get by with anything". My feeling is that this is…
Martin T.
  • 241
  • 1
  • 5
12
votes
1 answer

Is it illegal to sell used mattresses?

I'm possibly selling a used mattress (plead the 5th) and to my surprise was told that it's illegal! I've never heard this before. It seems that many others are asking this question and have heard it too: Snopes discussion forum post Wiki answers…
Hendy
  • 21,665
  • 17
  • 116
  • 179
1 2 3
…
18 19