How to Use the letter of the law in a Sentence

the letter of the law

noun phrase
  • And that their leaders see not just the letter of the law, but the reality on the ground.
    — Elliot Cosgrove, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Officials also could argue they don’t need to comply with the letter of the law.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 29 Apr. 2026
  • This time, at least, the decision was incontrovertible by the letter of the law.
    — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The chief executive certainly seems to care less about the letter of the law and the orders of judges this time around, though these will still slap him down.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2025
  • If someone is a violent criminal or committed a crime, then by all means, go ahead and follow the letter of the law.
    — Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
  • But learning the letter of the law has its limits, legal rights experts have noted, if law enforcement officers do not follow the law.
    — Heidi Reynolds-Stenson, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Like people are trying their best to follow the letter of the law or the exact wording of these orders without completely outing their trans sailors.
    — Lauren Hodges, NPR, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The most important such assumption is that a person of good judgment will know when to disregard the letter of the law in order to honor the spirit of the law.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 31 May 2016
  • If money talks, there clearly was a feeling George violated the letter of the law by obeying the spirit of her profession.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Work has been boiled down to key performance indicators, or KPIs, blurring the line between the letter of the law and spirit of the law, so to speak.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
  • While many free speech groups are saying that Carr’s conduct ran afoul of the spirit of the First Amendment, Carr did not violate the letter of the law.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Many of them described a changing court system where the idea and process of seeking asylum was being stood on its head and judges’ ability to rule based on the letter of the law was being tested by a slew of directives from the new administration.
    — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
  • By the letter of the law of the NFL's injury report policy, any player who practices with the scout team that would otherwise practice with the first team should be listed as a limited participant.
    — Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
  • By the letter of the law, Jahdae Barron made contact with Washington in the end zone later that same drive, even though the pass from Lawrence wouldn't have been caught by a leaping Victor Wembanyama.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
  • There are caveats, of course — America’s gun laws are anything but consistent — but most 3D-printing gunsmiths operate within the letter of the law, carefully walking lines and navigating legal gray areas where applicable.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026
  • However, the restaurant industry hasn’t necessarily followed the letter of the law, according to Jean Hagan, a partner at Eisner Advisory Group who focuses on the restaurant industry.
    — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Yet, like the work requirements, CMS’s overhaul goes far beyond the letter of the law by eventually cutting off a mechanism through which some 70% of those dollars flow, explains Leonardo Cuello, an expert on Medicaid policy at Georgetown University.
    — Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 16 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the letter of the law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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