Legal Fictions: An Introduction

“It’s a free country.”

If you grew up in the U.S., that sentence was probably your first introduction to the idea of law and rights. Maybe another kid shouted it at you when you questioned their behavior. Maybe you said it yourself. Simply translated, it means “I have the right to do what I want whether you like it or not.”

What gives us that right?

Law.

Kids also like things to be fair, so even on the playground there are limits to the “free country” argument. Rules get made – don’t cut in line,...