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Apr. 24, 2026
Law matters: 'The Five Types of Legal Argument' by Wilson Hugh
The article analyzes Wilson Huhn's framework of legal reasoning in "The Five Types of Legal Argument," explaining how TIPTAP sources, intra- and cross-type arguments, and formalism, analogy, and realism interact to structure legal analysis, persuasion and the evolution of doctrine.
In "The Five Types of Legal Argument," Wilson Huhn dissects the structure of legal reasoning. He identifies five foundational sources of legal argument: Text, Intent, Precedent, Tradition, and Policy (TIPTAP). These sources define what counts as legal argument and distinguish it from moral persuasion or rhetorical appeal. An argument drawn from an epic poem or moral intuition may move an audience, but it is little more than white noise in a courtroom.
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