Law that is deficient is better than law that is uncertain.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) A legal system with gaps is preferable to one riddled with ambiguity — it is better to have no rule on a point than a rule so vague that no one can follow it.

Where this applies

• A legal system has no statute governing drone flights, creating a gap — but that gap is less harmful than a drone regulation so ambiguous that no pilot knows whether flying at 200 feet is legal or not.
• A state has no specific law on surrogacy contracts, which is a deficiency — but that is preferable to a surrogacy law so vaguely written that courts interpret it differently every time.
• A city lacks an ordinance on food trucks, leaving vendors without clear rules — but that absence is better than an ordinance so poorly drafted that vendors and inspectors disagree on what it requires.