Nothing that is against reason is lawful.

Explanation

An act that defies reason cannot be sustained at law — this is the universal test of lawfulness, applicable to statutes, contracts, and judicial decrees alike.

Where this applies

• A legal outcome contradicts itself or creates an absurd result.
• An interpretation of a statute leads to a self-contradictory conclusion.

See also

• 1.5.7 The law always intends what is agreeable to reason.
• 1.5.20 Reason is the soul of law; when the reason of the law changes, the law itself changes.