Front Page
Jan. 18, 2002
Ignorance of Law
By Paul O'Brien Ever since about 1965, when I first heard Deputy Barney Fife utter it, I have wondered about the wisdom of the legal maxim, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Intellectually and pragmatically, of course, it is not a difficult concept to comprehend or defend. After all, were it an excuse in the legal sense, ignorance would be pleaded by defendants in every case or controversy.
By Paul O'Brien
Ever since about 1965, when I first heard Deputy Barney Fife utter it, I have wondered about the wisdom of the legal maxim, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Intellectually and pragmatically, of course, it is not a difficult concept to comprehend or defend. After all, were it an excuse in the legal se...
Ever since about 1965, when I first heard Deputy Barney Fife utter it, I have wondered about the wisdom of the legal maxim, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Intellectually and pragmatically, of course, it is not a difficult concept to comprehend or defend. After all, were it an excuse in the legal se...