Deem (law)

To deem in law means to consider, judge or condemn. It is also used to treat something as if it were something else, or as having qualities that it does not have. The word has traditionally been regarded as useful when a legal fiction must be established, either positively by deeming something to be what it is not, or negatively by deeming something not to be what it is. According to Black's Law Dictionary, all other uses of the word should be avoided, and in phrases such as if he deems fit, plainer words like thinks or considers are preferable. Using deem to mean treat as can be counter-factual, but it is not necessarily so: when acts are deemed by statute to be a crime of a certain nature, they are that crime, not merely a semblance of it.