On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
If everything that can happen is already in precedent, legislation is at an end, and precedent, like a dictionary, determines every case.
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgThomas Paine: “If everything that can happen is already in precedent, legislation is at an end, and precedent, like a dictionary…”
Editor's note · Context
From "Rights of Man," this statement critiques the idea that all future events can be governed solely by past precedents, arguing it halts legislative progress.
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