Hi folks!
This month one mexican federal court generated an interesting case law
related to use of Wikipedia as source of knowledge on trials, specially in
law resolutions. The tribunal that solved this was the "Tribunal Federal de
Justicia Fiscal y Administrativa". This court is not the supreme court of
Mexico but is the most important tribunal after that one in all the matter
related to tax and administrative law and its precedents are binding for
all mexican administrative authorities and al the judges on administrative
and fiscal law.
The case law is the number VII-J-SS-191 and you can read it in the next
link:
(only in Spanish)
http://sctj.tfjfa.gob.mx/SCJI/assembly/detalleTesis?idTesis=41716
The title is at the same time a brief of the content of the precedent, and
it can be translated in this way:
*"Wikipedia".- The information that is obtained from this website can help
to elucidate some controversial matter, thence the courtrooms of this
tribunal may use it when ruling.*
Inside the text the court makes a fair clarication: "*It must not be the
only source of knowledge in which the resolutions are based on [...] the
judges must care about gathering diversity of sources of information such
as specialized books, encyclopedia, including the electronic ones, [...]
and others*."
Maybe is just a curiosity, but for me is ilustrative of the good reputation
that our work is getting even in some closed circles as the law practice.
At least in Mexico is not common to see a court quoting Wikipedia, but
maybe this first precedent might change the things.
Do you know other similar case laws?
Regards!
[1]
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribunal_Federal_de_Justicia_Fiscal_y_Adminis…
--
*Salvador Alcántar*
*@salvador_alc*