She had argued for a broad interpretation, which imposed a duty to answer questions truthfully, and not to hide facts which could give a different complexion to a matter, but on subsequent thought she had revised her position. Although she still believed that one should be frank in answers to questions, this duty arose only where there was an obligation, based on a reasonable expectation, to make a full disclosure. There was no duty to reveal everything in response to a casual question by one who had no right to the information. Alexander McCall Smith
About This Quote

In the 1940s, In re Van Alstyne , a case involving a person who had been convicted of perjury, made a decision to interpret the law as only requiring the truth to be told in answering questions from those who had a right to know. At first, this decision seemed logical because it would seem that those who were guilty of a crime would not want the truth to come out. But, this conclusion was short lived as other cases came along to interpret the law differently. In fact, recently in the case of New Jersey v. T.L.O., the Supreme Court ruled that it is not just those who have been found guilty of crimes that have an obligation to respond truthfully, but also those who have been found innocent.

Source: The Sunday Philosophy Club

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