Letter: Columnist wrong about ‘ignorance of the law’ as excuse

Lawyers' Forum

By William R. Coulson

William R. Coulson is a partner at William R. Coulson LLC in Glenview. He writes in response to Timothy P. O’Neill’s Monday column, “U.S. Supreme Court curveball leaves columnist scratching his head.”

Posted December 5, 2018 10:18 AM

Professor Timothy O’Neill opened his Monday Law Bulletin column by asserting that the one law-related idea “that even lay people are aware of” is the erstwhile maxim “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”He then criticized a recent US Supreme Court opinion that held to the contrary: that a police officer’s reasonable but mistaken view of the law did not justify the suppression of otherwise competent evidence.Professor O’Neill’s column said this ruling left him “scratching …

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