letter of the law

Trump has repeatedly said he will follow court orders, and White House officials have said they are following the letter of the law in the myriad cases brought against the administration since he took office.

The court carefully weighs the letter of the law, but it's worth remembering that ultimately that law is drafted by politicians - and it can be changed at the stroke of a pen.

This is an apparent violation of the intent and meaning, if not letter of the law, of the Posse Comitatus Act, which forbids, except under very narrow circumstances, the use of the military for domestic law enforcement.

Also, to implement this to the letter of the law, the poor referees will have to start shouting five-second countdowns each and every time a goalkeeper has had the ball in their hands for three seconds.

While there are certainly benefits to this kind of specialization, there are drawbacks too: an inherently narrow viewpoint; an unwillingness to take the opinions of non-lawyers seriously; and a reluctance to acknowledge that the letter of the law is not the only thing that matters.