Knowledge is Power

I'm one of those nerds who likes learning for the sake of learning. However, as I've been parsing through landlord/tenant, equal protection, and all other types of law for 12+ hours a day during this reading period, I realized that there's an added bonus to learning the law: empowerment.

I know it sounds super cheesy (but really, that's how half of these blogs come off anyway), but knowing the law, knowing how to apply it, or even knowing people who know the law makes you feel like you can take on a lot of wrong in the world- or at the very least protect yourself. Not that I particularly want to go sue-happy, but I feel like people can't take advantage of people intentionally or unintentionally if that person knows the law.

For example, my friend had a problem with a leak in her apartment. She complained multiple times and the apartment kept saying that they would fix it. After asking my property teacher for some hypothetical advice, my friend sent her landlord a picture of the leak and a formal letter mentioning "implied warranty of habitability" and deducting rent payments and her building came to fix the leak the next day. She didn't have to sue or come even close, but just demonstrating that she knew the law whipped her landlord into shape.

Understandably, not everyone can or wants to go to law school. I just wish everyone had access to legal advice (the good kind, not where lawyers abuse their own power and try to take advantage of others). I also agree with Justice O'Connor that every kid should have a copy of the Constitution and know their fundamental rights. It's just so little, it can fit in your pocket. (Right- Senator Robert Byrd- WV, an alum of my law school and model of pocket constitutions). You don't have to say it, I'm a constitutional nerd. But I was already told that in high school by my AP history/gov teacher.