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I think the old, sound, and honest maxim that "you shall not do evil that good may come," is applicable in law as well as in morals.

— Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet Reg. v. Hicklin and another (1868)

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Source: Reg. v. Hicklin and another (1868), 11 Cox, C. C. 27; S. C. 3 L. R. Q. B. 372; reported in Dictionary of Legal Quotations (1904) by James William Norton-Kyshe, p. 92.
Work: Reg. v. Hicklin and another, 1868
Source quality: Secondhand citation Quoted from another book or article rather than from the original.

More by Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet

Although the decisions of the American Courts are of course not binding on us, yet the sound and enlightened views of American lawyers in the administration and development of the law—a law, except so far as altered by statutory enactment, derived from a common source with our own—entitle their decisions to the utmost respect and confidence on our part.

Scaramanga v. Stamp (1880)

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Justice

More quotes by Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet

A Judge cannot set himself above the law which he has to administer, or make or mould it to suit the exigencies of a particular occasion.

Martin v. Mackonochie (1878)

Personal injury is a more serious matter than damage to property.

Reg. v. Heppinstale (1859)

When a man is asked if he is an esquire, and he answers that he is an esquire, the general understanding is that he is a person of no profession or occupation.

Perrins v. Marine and General Travellers' Ins. Co (1859)

The impulsive desire to save human life when in peril is one of the most beneficial instincts of humanity, and is nowhere more salutary in its results than in bringing help to those who, exposed to destruction from the fury of winds and waves, would perish if left without assistance.

Scaramanga v. Stamp (1880)

Writers on international law . . . cannot make the law … it must have received the assent of the nations who are to be bound by it. This assent may be express … or may be implied from established usage.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.