Once in a while, a person breaks the law unintentionally because of the law's obscurity or the unusual circumstances surrounding the offense. Statute violations consider a person's actions in light of what most reasonable people would do in that situation.
Definition
A statute violation means that the defendant knew of a law or regulation and decided intentionally to disobey that law. Generally, this law would be commonly known, such as the fact that a person must stop at a red light.
Considerations
When determining the effects of a statute violation, four guidelines address the issue. These include the established standard, especially medical; the subject's violation of the statute; if the circumstances justified the violation; and the effect of the violation.
Exemptions
The court will not enforce frivolous or archaic statutes, such as a law that states that married couples may not kiss in public on Sundays, or one that requires extremely slow local speed limits. The court considers if the statute or regulation would seem logical for most people to obey.