Basis (legal argument)

The foundation of a legal argument; the key fact, rule, or law upon which an argument is built. It is sometimes described as the “because” part of an argument. For example, in the argument, “Wife should be awarded control of the business because she is the only spouse licensed to run it,” the licensing status of the parties is the basis of the contention that Wife should be awarded the business–it is the part of the argument that tells us why Wife should prevail.