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Posted by  VT_Syrup on 2/13/20 2:41pm
Of course, it depends on if you are writing like an ordinary person, or like a lawyer. Lawyer's might claim that 1 year from February 15, 2019, is February 14, 2020. Here's why (using military time to be more precise).
Something happened on February 15, 2019, after 00:00 but before 24:00. Since the law rarely considers fractions of a day, the whole day counts. If you get out a 2019 and 2020 calendar, and write 1 on February 15, 2019, and keep writing numbers until you get to February 14, 2019, you find yourself writing 365 on that date. Since, in law, any fraction of a day counts as a whole day, then at 00:00 plus the tiniest fraction of a second on February 14, 2019, the whole day counts, and a period of 365 days, or 1 year, has been completed (since 2019 wasn't a leap year).
Why does this matter? Because outside of Louisiana, notary commissions have expiration dates. When you're deciding what to write on that line that says "My commission expires __________", the answer might not be as easy as you think. Indeed, if your state law is badly worded, no one may be sure what the right answer is.
(By the way, DMVs and the agencies that regulate liquor licenses routinely get this wrong when it comes to people about to turn 21.) |
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