Refining The Art Of Mocking The Law

Sub judice is Latin for under judicial consideration. The Financial Times Lexicon defines it thus: If a legal case is sub judice, it is now being dealt with by a court, and therefore people are not allowed to discuss it publicly. Duhaime.org adds: Politicians will decline to speak on a certain subject because the subject matter is sub judice.

At a dialog session in Joo Chiat on 9 May 2010, a resident asked Law Minister K Shanmugam whether the Government's policy on the death penalty for drug offences would change as a result of Yong's case. Malaysian Yong Vui Kong, 22, was convicted of drug trafficking and awaiting the Court of Appeal's ruling on 14 May.

Shanmugam had responded with his explanation that the fight against against drugs would not work if the Government made exceptions for young persons, such as Yong, or persons in special circumstances. "Yong Vui Kong is young. But if we say 'We let you go,' what is the signal we are sending?" said Shanmugan, who was one of the Senior Partners and head of Litigation & Dispute Resolution at Allen & Gledhill LLP, the largest law firm in Singapore, before he sneaked into parliament via the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system in September 1988. On 1 May 2008 Shanmugam was appointed Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs .

The lawyer maintains that he did not prejudice the ongoing case. "The Government is entitled to comment on such policies," read the statement from the Law Ministry.

During the Frost-Nixon interview of March 1977, Nixon refused to apologize to the American people for the Watergate crimes, maintaining, "I'm saying that when the President does it, that means it's not illegal". If that does not send a chill down your spine....