# Automating Defeasible Reasoning in Law

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.07335 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.07335/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 3 of its 28 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 15 May 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Catala: A Programming Language for the Law](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.03198/) (2021)
- [SMT-based Constraint Answer Set Solver EZSMT+](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.03334/) (2019)
- [The NAI Suite -- Drafting and Reasoning over Legal Texts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.07004/) (2019)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The paper studies defeasible reasoning in rule-based systems, in particular about legal norms and contracts. We identify rule modifiers that specify how rules interact and how they can be overridden. We then define rule transformations that eliminate these modifiers, leading in the end to a translation of rules to formulas. For reasoning with and about rules, we contrast two approaches, one in a classical logic with SMT solvers as proof engines, one in a non-monotonic logic with Answer Set Programming solvers.