Legal Definitions - supposition

A supposition is a belief or an idea that something is true, even though there is no definite proof or evidence to support it. It's essentially an assumption or a hypothesis made for the sake of argument, planning, or discussion, without full verification.

• Example 1 (Legal Strategy): During a trial, a defense attorney might present a scenario to the jury based on the supposition that a key witness was not in a position to clearly see the events they described. The attorney doesn't have definitive proof that the witness's view was obstructed, but they propose it as a possibility to create doubt about the witness's testimony.

  Explanation: This illustrates a supposition because the attorney is putting forward an idea (the witness's obstructed view) as potentially true, without concrete evidence, to influence the jury's perception of the facts.

• Example 2 (Business Planning): A tech startup might develop a new app based on the supposition that consumers are looking for a more streamlined way to manage their daily tasks. They haven't conducted extensive market research yet to confirm this demand, but they are proceeding with development based on this unproven belief about consumer needs.

  Explanation: Here, the startup is operating on an assumption about market demand that lacks definitive proof. Their entire development strategy is built upon this unverified belief, making it a clear supposition.

• Example 3 (Policy Debate): In a community meeting discussing a new traffic policy, one resident might argue against a proposed speed bump, operating under the supposition that it will only divert speeding drivers to quieter residential streets, rather than reduce overall speeding. They don't have traffic study data to confirm this outcome, but they present it as a likely consequence.

  Explanation: This demonstrates a supposition because the resident is basing their argument on an unproven belief about the future impact of the speed bump, rather than on confirmed data or evidence.