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LSDefine

Simple English definitions for legal terms

mischief rule

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A quick definition of mischief rule:

The mischief rule is a way of interpreting laws. It means that when we read a law, we should try to understand what problem it was made to solve. Then, we should interpret the law in a way that helps solve that problem. This is also called the purpose approach. It is different from the plain-meaning rule, which says we should only look at the words of the law, and the golden rule, which says we should interpret the law in a way that makes the most sense.

A more thorough explanation:

The mischief rule is a way of interpreting laws. It means that when judges are trying to understand what a law means, they should first figure out what problem the law was trying to solve. Then, they should interpret the law in a way that solves that problem.

For example, let's say there is a law that says "No dogs allowed in the park." If someone brings their dog to the park and gets in trouble, a judge using the mischief rule would try to figure out why the law was made. Maybe the problem was that dogs were leaving a lot of poop in the park and people were stepping in it. In that case, the judge might interpret the law to mean "No dogs allowed in the park unless they are on a leash and their owner cleans up after them." That way, the problem of poop in the park is solved, but people can still bring their dogs if they follow the rules.

The mischief rule is one of several ways that judges can interpret laws. Other methods include the plain-meaning rule (which means interpreting the law based on the words used), the golden rule (which means interpreting the law in a way that makes the most sense), and the equity-of-the-statute rule (which means interpreting the law in a way that is fair to everyone).

mischief | miscontinuance

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MIAMI A
[] AromaticTroubledDormouse
20:55
How does one know if they are UR1 or UR2?
[] AromaticTroubledDormouse
20:56
CONGRATS MACAQUE!
TY
got a random stanford email and almost had a heart attack
ALSO CONGRATS!
Congrats1!
21:15
Miami A, yall I'm so excited I could cry.
21:15
Feel like I can finally stop holding my breath!! Whew!!!
[] baddestbunny
22:16
every time I get accosted by a strange man who follows me around because my male coworkers were too busy talking to walk me back to my car I get closer to saying we need to bring back traditional gender roles
Dkk
22:32
Nice! @Macaque
Dkk
22:32
@Aromatic, Have to guess.
Dkk
22:33
That sucks @Bunny do you have to go to the hospital?
[] baddestbunny
22:40
I said accosted not assaulted
23:35
guys. my notre dame address just went long is this good or bad
1a2b3c4d26z
23:37
Oooooo me too
23:37
omg is this good or bad
Dkk
23:47
Idk if gender roles are gunna fix that then.
23:49
it looks like most people who applied in october last cycle didn't get a decision until january... does it even mean anything that our addresses went long??
hows ED 2 compared to ED 1?
Dkk
0:10
No idea
windyMagician
0:34
reporting live to say my ndls address also went long
does it mean anything ^
Dkk
2:21
NDLS and Fordham took a very long time last year. It's good info for people to know.
[] baddestbunny
4:29
let’s get after it boys and girls
Dkk
5:21
I gtg to bed soon.
Dkk
5:22
Big day today. Gunna be a crazy one. I will sleep through the first half.
good morning lsd it is 5 am EST
also jazzy my ndls address went long ages ago i sadly do not think it means anything
my stanford address also went long LOL i think at most it's an indicator it's under review
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