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LSDefine

Simple English definitions for legal terms

legal question

Read a random definition: United States v. Darby

A quick definition of legal question:

A legal question is a question that needs to be answered by a judge about the law. It can be about how to apply or interpret the law, or what the law is on a particular point. Sometimes, the law has already answered the question, so the judge cannot decide it in a different way. Legal questions are different from factual questions, which are decided by a jury.

A more thorough explanation:

A legal question is an issue that needs to be decided by a judge concerning the application or interpretation of the law. It can also refer to a question that the law itself has already answered, so the court cannot answer it as a matter of discretion. Additionally, it can be an issue about what the law is on a particular point, where parties argue about and the court must decide what the true rule of law is. Finally, it can be an issue that is exclusively within the province of the judge and not the jury.

  • A jury cannot decide questions of law, which are reserved for the court.
  • Under the sentencing guidelines, the punishment for a three-time offender is a question of law.
  • Both parties appealed on the question of law.
  • Whether a contractual ambiguity exists is a question of law.

These examples illustrate different types of legal questions. The first example shows that questions of law are reserved for the judge and cannot be decided by a jury. The second example demonstrates that some questions have already been answered by the law, and the court cannot use discretion to answer them differently. The third example shows that parties can argue about what the true rule of law is, and the court must decide. Finally, the fourth example illustrates that some issues are exclusively within the province of the judge and not the jury.

legal process | legal rate

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10:38
Very happy with LR other than having to guess on a couple questions cuz of time
10:42
i have a question about my personal statement. in my activism for the hospitality workers' union, i organized and spoke up in favor of stronger regulations on airbnb because the unregulated spread of airbnb throughout LA was inflating housing costs for workers and threatening their job security. do you think it's too divisive to mention regulating airbnb? idk
Nostradumbass
10:44
I wrote mine about how all activists should be consolidated into a large smelting pot and refined down to a viscous goo
Nostradumbass
10:45
Expecting a lot of rejections though
11:07
I'm sure you'll get a full ride to a few schools :P
11:11
The impression I get is most schools try not to judge based on the political implications of what you write about. They probably care more that you saw a problem and tried to fix it. That seems like a great thing to write a PS about @chowie
11:18
Besides, if a school didn’t let you in for trying to fix a problem you saw in your community, that doesn’t say great things about your school’s culture (assuming the thing you did showed good common sense judgment ofc)
11:19
That school’s* culture
11:23
Thanks Howl you're right :D I def talked about solving problems in my PS
12:03
@HowlEngineer: what's your dream school
MildChiller
12:08
"Have you applied for admission to [school] in a prior year" I applied in Oct. of the 23-24 cycle, should I put 23 or 24 as the year I applied?
MildChiller
12:09
Bcuz 2023 is when I technically applied but I applied for admissions in 2024
12:14
2024 cuz that's when you would've been admitted
I agree with Howl
12:19
Gecko what's ur dream school
Hard to say. I'm pretty firmly committed to the philly area so probably temple or villanova
Also relatively debt averse so I'd have to get a good scholarship from BC or Fordham to want to go but that's not very likely for me
Any advice? lol
[] baddestbunny
12:25
what’s a good scholarship for you? what would make BC or Fordham worth it?
12:25
Hmmmm let me think
[] baddestbunny
12:25
fordham’s max aid they give is 45k per year
Bunny I can possibly get a 75%+ scholarship from villanova or temple, and I'd be moving back in with my parents if I went there so I'd have near-zero COL. It'd be really hard to beat that
I would prefer BC over Fordham just because I like boston more, but I'm expecting a WL there tbh
I would maybe consider BC with $ but I don't know how to decide if a better biglaw chance is worth the COL + higher tuition
12:50
How do I know if my status checkers are properly linked
12:59
@ChowieBean: right now, Michigan, but there are several that come close. How about you?
13:05
@Law01: I haven't gotten the status checkers to work at all. When I sent an email to the LSData folks the other week, they said they were working on fixing them
13:10
but I think "Last Checked" would change from "Never" to something else
13:30
@HowlEngineer: I'll get more specific once I get my LSAT score, but NYU, Berk, GTown, UCLA
13:30
Anywhere that's top for PI
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