English / proverb
Hard Cases Make Bad Law
MEANING IN ENGLISH
Extreme, tragic, or peculiar legal scenarios are unreliable foundations for formulating general jurisprudence.
In context
01
The judge resisted creating a hasty precedent, cautioning that hard cases make bad law.
02
Sympathy for an exceptional victim should not overturn decades of statutory wisdom; hard cases make bad law.
Synonyms
extreme precedents distort rules,emotional rulings yield poor policy,bad generalities
Antonyms
sound jurisprudence,equitable precedent,balanced legal doctrine
Collocations
principle that hard cases make bad law,warn that hard cases make bad law,remember hard cases make bad law