[extropy-chat] Politics: US talks of suspending elections

[Adrian Tymes]

--- Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com> wrote:
> You still don't understand the US. We are a Common
> Law nation.

Try that theory in almost any court in the land,
especially upper-level courts, and risk get tossed in
jail for contempt of court.  Common law has no legal
weight, and this has been stressed by justices at all
levels of the legal system.

> Under
> the Constitution, if something isn't specified, it
> doesn't mean you
> can't do it, or can do it,

Nope.  If it ain't explicitly illegal, it's legal.
Default permissive.  Many might-have-been criminals
have gotten off scot free because the letter of the
law didn't cover their actions, even though the spirit
(and common precedent) clearly argued against it.

Which is why prosecutors focus on expanding the
meaning of the law, while defenders try to narrow it.