ignorance of law
Not knowing rules
Ignorance of law is the state of not knowing that a particular act is illegal.
The legal principle that ignorance of the law is no excuse—*ignorantia legis neminem excusat*—means you can be prosecuted even if you genuinely didn't know your conduct was criminal: His ignorance of the law didn't save him from the fine.
The doctrine assumes citizens have a duty to know the laws that govern them, though critics note the impossibility of knowing every statute on the books.
- no excuseNo valid justification
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
- excuseOffered reason for wrongdoing
- defenseProtection against harm
- mistakeWrong action or decision
good faith · liability · strict liability · accountability · recklessness · negligence · reasonable person · criminal law · common law · plea · courtroom · prosecution · defendant · fair warning · loophole · technicality · legal fiction · burden
- legal ignorance
ignorance of lawlegal expertise
Mastery of law
legal training · legal education · legal practice · jurisprudence
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