Question

Latin maxim "Ignorantia facti excusat ignorantia juris non excusat" means ________.

• A. Ignorance of fact is excused but ignorance of law is not excused
• B. Ignorance of law is excused but ignorance of fact is not excused
• C. Ignorance of fact and ignorance of law is not excused
• D. Ignorance of fact and ignorance of law is excused

Hint:

Remember: A mistake about facts can be a valid defense (facti excusat), but a mistake about the law is never a valid defense (juris non excusat).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

This question asks for the meaning of a fundamental legal principle expressed in Latin. Step 1: Break down the maxim into two parts.
Part 1: Ignorantia facti excusat
Part 2: Ignorantia juris non excusat

Step 2: Translate each part.
\textit{Ignorantia} means ignorance. \textit{Facti} means of fact. \textit{Excusat} means excuses. So, Part 1 means: Ignorance of fact is an excuse. Example: If you take an umbrella from a stand, genuinely believing it is yours because it looks identical, your ignorance of the fact that it belonged to someone else could be an excuse against a charge of theft.
\textit{Juris} means of law. \textit{Non} means not. So, Part 2 means: Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Example: If you are caught speeding, you cannot defend yourself by saying, "I did not know the speed limit was 50 km/h." Every citizen is presumed to know the law of the land.

Step 3: Combine the translations. The full meaning is: "Ignorance of fact is excused, but ignorance of law is not excused."