The law tag has no wiki summary.
8
votes
1answer
102 views
Are U.S companies legally obligated to maximize profits for shareholders?
A statement that I've heard over and over, is that U.S. companies are legally obligated to maximize profits for shareholders, and that this explains why companies act socially unresponsible.
I think ...
1
vote
0answers
52 views
Can one patent a metaphor? [closed]
The patent on the Shopping Cart Metaphor is extremely concerning to me as a designer and programmer.
The digital "Shopping Cart" is nothing more than a metaphor, similar to digital "pointing" is a ...
5
votes
1answer
234 views
Is there a legal video size limit for Super Bowl parties?
Slate claims:
A Baptist congregation in Indiana plans to cancel its Super Bowl party this weekend, after receiving a threatening letter from the National Football League. NFL officials say the ...
49
votes
3answers
2k views
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
99 views
Is it illegal to tie campaign contributions to a specific policy goal?
The petition Investigate Chris Dodd and the MPAA for bribery after he publicly admitted to bribing politicans to pass legislation implies that there is something illegal about this threat to withdraw ...
1
vote
0answers
113 views
slavery in Decatur, Alabama [closed]
I was told by a friend, that slavery is still legal in Decatur, Alabama. Is this true? I am truly astonished, if it is. Didn't Lincoln emancipate slaves all over the country?
12
votes
1answer
672 views
Do laws exist that say restaurants must serve customers who request tap water?
My mother claimed the other day that it is a "state law" that any restaurant must serve customers tap water upon request, therefore not requiring customers to buy a (flavored) drink or (overpriced) ...
15
votes
2answers
522 views
Is it illegal in the U.S. for legal professionals to answer legal questions on public Internet forums?
A SE moderator said:
[I]n the US, at least, legal professionals are not permitted to answer questions on a site like this.
It seems odd that a law would prohibit someone who has passed a Bar ...
2
votes
1answer
355 views
Is there any place where you need one form of ID to buy a gun, but two to pay for it by check?
This XKCD comic strip has the following alt text:
I hear in some places, you need one form of ID to buy a gun, but two to pay for it by check. It's interesting who has what incentives to care ...
3
votes
2answers
599 views
Is it legal to kill a scotsman in York?
I once heard that it is allowed to kill a scotsman in York, if you do it with a bow and arrow. Apparently there is no danger in this law, since the bow and arrow needed to be made by a no longer ...
10
votes
0answers
134 views
Are restrictions on the supply of alcohol effective at limiting the harm caused by or even the amount of alcohol consumed?
Different countries choose radically different ways to regulate peoples' access to alcohol. Some countries and some US states impose a state monopoly on alcohol sale ; others restrict the hours or ...
3
votes
1answer
128 views
Does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms not apply to government hiring practices?
While I was reading Yahoo! News today, I came across this article which discussed British Columbia's New Democratic Party's affirmative-action rules:
According to the BC NDP's affirmative-action ...
9
votes
2answers
900 views
Has anyone been charged with defacing money?
In many countries it is illegal to deface or destroy money, but has this law ever been enforced? (note: I'm not asking about counterfeiting)
Have there been any notable cases of people being charged ...
8
votes
1answer
235 views
Can photography be used for terrorism, and can restricting it reduce terrorism?
I'm seeing lots of claims that photography could contribute to terrorism, and photographers are being stopped on a regular basis in many more places than before, especially in the UK (see ...
13
votes
1answer
322 views
How often do law enforcement authorities actually commandeer civilian transportation?
You've seen the movies: the cop-action-hero's car blows up and he is forced to bust out his gun and his badge and commandeer a civilian's vehicle for transportation. How often does this actually ...
203
votes
4answers
10k views
Does torture work well as an interrogation technique?
I have friends who say that torture is a useful means of getting information out of people, and friends who don't, and both stands seem supported by some authorities. I am also aware that there are ...
16
votes
1answer
358 views
Do software patents stifle creativity?
Is there any evidence to support the claim that software patents stifle creativity and put many people at risk of legal action?
If necessary refer to some background reading:
Seriously think ...
11
votes
2answers
395 views
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 ...
11
votes
2answers
337 views
Has prohibition reduced drug use? [closed]
Anti-prohibition v. anti-drug. Two opposing viewpoints portray the costs of drug use and prohibition.
Another question asks whether decriminalizing drugs reduces drug use. Yet, it's unclear ...
25
votes
4answers
1k views
Does legalizing prostitution lead to an increase in human trafficking?
This is a common argument against the legalization of prostitution, and I'm curious if there's any truth to the claim that human trafficking actually increase when prostitution is made legal.
5
votes
2answers
673 views
Are media reports about squatters' rights accurate?
So a few months ago there was a spout of stories in the UK papers pertaining to squatters, and the fact that they have just been breaking into houses and changing the locks whilst the owners had been ...
10
votes
1answer
513 views
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, ...
15
votes
1answer
465 views
USA: is alcohol for consumption tested for carbon-14 radioactivity to be considered legal?
I just viewed this interesting video about radioactive ethanol from plants as opposed to non-radioactive ethanol from crude oil. In it, the professor says he's heard it's illegal in the USA to sell ...
11
votes
1answer
592 views
Was impersonating an Egyptian once a capital offense in England?
This site claims that:
Serious crimes, such as murder, rape,
or impersonating an Egyptian were
given the death sentence in England.
Is that true?
26
votes
1answer
2k views
You have the right to one phone call when arrested - A Hollywood myth?
(Image Source)
According to Cracked.com the "one phone call" rule is a Hollywood invention. They base this on the information this attorney gives:
The one phone call is another one of
the ...
28
votes
3answers
970 views
Why is 18 (mostly) considered the age of adulthood?
In most countries, there is the concept of adulthood, which brings with it several rights and responsibilities. In many countries like the Commonwealth nations, it is 18. Is there any scientific basis ...
9
votes
2answers
511 views
Are there public laws dealing with extraterrestrial contact?
UFO theorists claim that there are US laws preventing people from investigating or contacting aliens.
From "Alien Contact Laws- $5,000 Fine And Imprisonment" at ...
11
votes
3answers
245 views
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 ...
10
votes
2answers
562 views
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 ...
2
votes
0answers
185 views
Does the UK draft Defamation Bill affect super-injunctions? [closed]
The Libel Reform Campaign has broadly welcomed the government's draft Defamation Bill, but as it stands would the bill have any impact on the use of 'gag orders' by large corporations and wealthy ...
33
votes
3answers
2k views
Is the death penalty an effective deterrent?
There is a lot of clutter from anti-death penalty sites, which makes it hard to find all the research. They often cite statistics like those explained in this website, including the chart below that ...
9
votes
1answer
489 views
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?
11
votes
3answers
423 views
Is talking and driving more dangerous than any other type of distraction?
Are there any studies that demonstrate that talking on a cell phone is more dangerous than any other type of distraction? Yes, it seems clear that talking on a cell phone is a distraction, but for ...
