vagueness doctrine means: 1. A constitution rule that requires criminal law to clearly and definitively state what is punishable. This requirement is deemed null for vagueness. The due process clauses in the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments provide the basis for the vagueness doctrine. The vagueness doctrine helps to prevent arbitrarily enforced laws by requiring fair notice about what is permissible and what isn’t. (in Legal Dictionary)
What else does vagueness doctrine mean?
- 2 A statute that is vaguely construed is also null for vagueness. This doctrine applies to legislation whose delegation to administrators and judges of legislative authority is too extensive to lead to arbitrarily prosecuted. (in Legal Dictionary)
