4 ms·
The "shall" wording is going to keep this in courts for years, even if it does pass. Shall is the source of more litigation than any other single word in the E
by ianamartin 11y ago
The "shall" wording is going to keep this in courts for years, even if it does pass.
Shall is the source of more litigation than any other single word in the English language. It can always be debated because no one knows if it reliably means "can", "must", "may", "might", "will", "should", "ought to", or "is allowed to".
All the above uses can be supported with evidence. Because language evolves.
It's killer word for any law or contract and guaranteed to be disputed.
I am not a lawyer, btw.
But if this somehow passes, it will get tossed because of the wording.
- tempestn 11y agoI haven't done any research or anything, but I can't imagine any reasonable person interpreting "shall" to mean "can", "might", "may", or "is allowed to". Shall means "will" or "must". Like any uncommon word I'm sure it's frequently used incorrectly, and I recognize that language evolves, but I have difficulty believing those other uses have become prevalent enough to be considered valid.
- ianamartin 11y agoI have done the research. It can mean all of the things that I mentioned.