Legal Query Constraint Language

A Legal Query Constraint Language is a domain-specific query language that formalizes search constraints for legal information retrieval including jurisdiction parameters, date restrictions, and source type filters.

• AKA: Legal Search Constraint Language, Structured Legal Query Language, Legal Query Specification Language.
• Context:
  • It can typically specify Jurisdiction Constraints through geographic identifiers.
  • It can typically define Temporal Constraints using date expressions.
  • It can typically express Source Type Constraints for authority levels.
  • It can often combine Multiple Constraint Types in complex querys.
  • It can often support Negation Operators for exclusion rules.
  • It can range from being a Natural Language Query Language to being a Formal Query Language, depending on its syntax structure.
  • It can range from being a Simple Constraint Language to being a Complex Constraint Language, depending on its expressiveness level.
  • It can range from being a Declarative Query Language to being a Procedural Query Language, depending on its specification style.
  • It can range from being a Domain-Specific Query Language to being a General Query Language, depending on its application scope.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Boolean Legal Query Languages, such as:
    • Westlaw Query Language using proximity operators and field restrictions.
    • Lexis Query Language with segment searches and date limits.
  • Structured Legal Query Languages, such as:
    • SQL-Based Legal Query Language for relational legal databases.
    • SPARQL Legal Query Language for legal knowledge graphs.
  • Template-Based Query Languages, such as:
    • Form-Based Legal Query Language with dropdown constraints.
    • Wizard-Based Legal Query Language using guided parameters.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • General Search Query, which lacks legal-specific constraints.
  • Natural Language Question, which omits structured parameters.
  • Programming Language, which serves general computation rather than legal search.
• See: Legal Query Template System, Constrained Legal Search Task, Legal Information Retrieval Task, Jurisdiction-Scoped Legal Search Task, Legal NLP Task, Query-Replying Task, Legal Search Interface, Legal Database Query System, Legal Temporal Reasoning System.

---