De minimis

Uncommon card · No. 181835

De minimis is a legal doctrine by which a court refuses to consider trifling matters. The name of the doctrine is a Latin expression meaning "pertaining to minimal things" or "with trifles", normally in the terms de minimis non curat praetor ('the praetor does not concern himself with trifles') or de minimis non curat lex ('the law does not concern itself with trifles'). Queen Christina of Sweden (r. 1633–1654) favoured the similar Latin adage, aquila non capit muscās ('the eagle does not catch flies'). The general term has come to have a variety of specialized meanings in various contexts as shown below, which indicate that beneath a certain low level a quantity is regarded as trivial, and treated commensurately.

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