Ask HN: How many laws are there in each country?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29144307

by codingclaws • 5 years ago

5 6 5 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

aboxn• 5 years ago

I remember seeing some numbers in the UNs Sustainability Development Goals data. You'll have to dig around Goal 16 (Justice) related reports. They release reports every year for all countries.

thedream• 5 years ago

There is only one Law[1].

  You are unity. 
  You are infinity. 
  You are love/light, light/love. 
  You are. 
  This is the Law of One.

[1] https://www.lawofone.info/

tsukurimashou• 5 years ago

Too many

TheMonarchist• 5 years ago

Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges. -- Tacitus, Annals

That is, a corrupt republic needs more laws.

As I would put it: d(lawcount)/d(depravity) > 0

dane-pgp• 5 years ago

Some countries with Common Law systems do not have a codified list of all their offences,[0] meaning that a judge would have to decide whether a law even exists, before someone could be prosecuted for it.

As an example from that linked article, there apparently exists an offence "Concealment of treasure trove" under the common law of England, the definition of which had to be clarified in 1982 when Lord Denning "decided that objects have to be made 'substantially' gold or silver in order to qualify as Treasure Trove and he thought that they should have at least 50%."[1]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law_offence#England_and...

[1] http://tartanplace.com/tartanillus/cite/treasur2.htm

ximeng• 5 years ago

https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/index/chapternumber?p0=1&TYP...

This is a list of Hong Kong ordinances, going up to around 622 (select "All" to see them all).

But some of those are much more complicated than others, so it will depend how you slice them up how many you would count. This will be similar in other jurisdictions.

Ask HN: How many laws are there in each country?

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