History Main / ScrewtherulesImakethem

-->'''Aunty Entity''': You think I don't know the law? Wasn't it ''me'' who wrote it?"

* The player characters have this role in ''TabletopGame/DogsInTheVineyard'' -- as they are commanded to represent the word of the Book of Life, they basically interpret what it means and enforce it as they see fit. Often with guns.
* The Solar Exalted of the ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' setting were the rulers of the world in the First Age. As the Great Curse laid upon them by their vanquished foes, the Primordials (titans) started to corrupt them more and more, their rule became more and more tyrannical and cruel. Note that within his domain, a Solar had the right to set almost anything that doesn't threaten the rule of Solars in general as a law, which resulted in some pretty horrible places to live, as well as some pretty... bizarre laws and customs (a whole region in the North where people acted like they lived in a musical!).

* The Golden Rule of ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' is "Sometimes a card contradicts the rules; if this occurs, the card text takes precedence."
* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' makes a particular effort to encourage this attitude. Game Masters are encouraged (if the need arises) to roll the dice in plain view of all the players and ''deliberately ignore the results'' just to [[{{Anvilicious}} hammer the point home]].
** Happens a lot in universe too. Ultraviolet clearance clones are assumed to not only be above suspicion by the Computer, but also be the people who program the Computer and tell it what to think. (They've installed automatic safeguards against blatant "all the other Ultraviolets are traitors" programs, but that's about it.)

* Similar to ''Paranoia'' (both by Creator/GregCostikyan), ''TabletopGame/ViolenceTheRoleplayingGameOfEgregiousAndRepulsiveBloodshed'' suggests gamemasters modify game results based on his whims towards the players.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Malekith, the Witch King of Naggaroth, frequently makes laws, customs and rules for his Dark Elf subjects that he flaunts himself (such as his ban on male sorcerers, and for a long time his proclamation that nobody else be allowed to ride in a chariot). His mother Morathi has a similarly dismissive approach to following her own rules (as with her treatment of the Cults of Pleasure, which she outlawed, despite being a High Priestess of herself). To all the other Dark Elves their behaviour is a clear case of this trope, though Malekith and Morathi think it's a justified perk of being in charge. Whether Malekith and Morathi really do have the constitutional authority to behave in this fashion is a vexed question, given that "constitutional authority" to Dark Elves means "power to exercise one's tyrannical wishes when one wants".

** Simba also seems to have the idea as a child that a king can do whatever they want. He expresses as much to Mufasa and tells Zazu that his own betrothal to Nala is going to be the first thing he gets rid of when he becomes king. Then he sings the whole song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" about how he's basically going to do whatever he wants when he is king. It's up to Mufasa to be the guiding figure who explains just what it is that a responsible king does.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', Ramses tells Moses he can do this for him after Moses accidentally murders an Egyptian slave overseer. Moses is dealing with some serious angst right now, though, and leaves anyway.

* A twist in ''Literature/TheWarlockInSpiteOfHimself'' by Christopher Stasheff: Queen Katherine insists that the law says captured rebels must be executed, and therefore she cannot pardon them. It's her wiser advisors, realizing that the circumstances of the rebellion mean mercy would be the better ploy, who tell her, "The law of the land is the Queen" -- setting a very bad precedent, but executing ''these'' rebels would cause major and possibly worse problems.

* In the third chapter of ''[[Fanfic/DanganronpaTheImmersiveLearningProgram Danganronpa: Academy of Discontent]]'', following the discovery of three bodies, Monokuma tells the students that the only Blackened for the trial will be the first killer. However, it is revealed that two of the victims were killed by the third, and he declares that whoever killed the last victim will be the Blackened. When the students call him out of this, he states that one of the rules for the Academy is that he can make new rules whenever he wants.

* In the ''Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', Danny finally (and ''epically'') calls Walker out on this, calling him the biggest hypocrite he's ''ever'' met.
* In ''Webcomic/HowIBecameYours'', Fire Lord Zuko is called before the Fire Nation Senate to discuss his marriage with Katara, the "Princess" of the Water Tribe. His response is to essentially remind them that he established the senate, and then dismiss the meeting.
* {{Subverted}} in the {{omake}} of the ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' slash fic ''Fanfic/ManOfDreams''.
-->'''Hashirama''': Dude, how 'bout we do one better and get married?\\
'''Madara:''': Dude, that's not even legal.\\
'''Hashirama''': Dude, I rule this village, I could totally make it legal.\\
'''Madara''': Dude, that'd just be weird. Let's just live in sin, sin is sexier.

* In the ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Mistake|SherlockHolmes}}'', Watson ends up in critical condition, and Mycroft is initially able to stay nearby because he told the staff that he's Watson's older brother. When the attendant physician finds out the truth, he isn't pleased. However, he decides to ignore the "only family allowed" rule after Mycroft proves that he practically ''is'' the British government and could have the entire facility shut down if he desired.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Restraint}}'', Mai and her family knew about Ozai's [[spoiler:ParentalIncest towards Azula]] for years. They wouldn't do anything about it because they couldn't charge the Fire Lord with such an offense.

* In Chapter 5 of ''Fanfic/SaviorOfDemons'', Goku, in trying to understand [[HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster why Frieza is the way he is,]] asks him why he couldn't just change the rules -- after all, [[AppealToForce he's so strong, nobody could tell him no, right?]] Frieza tells him that it would be suicidal, even for him, suggesting that [[AlwaysABiggerFish he's not the biggest fish in the galactic pond,]] at least in terms of influence.
* ''Fanfic/SecondWind'': Lost's author's note at the end of Chapter 26, in regards to Seal:
-->'''Lost''': It may be spontaneous and random decision making, but I honestly couldn't resist. This is my story, and I say Seal is coming along for the ride. So take that, common sense! I scoff at your restrictions! *Scoffs*

* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' [[AlternateUniverseFic AU]] ''Fanfic/ThoseWhoStandForNothingFallForAnything'', when no one comments when [[PresidentEvil Light]] lights up a cigarette in a hospital room, he takes that as "proof that the civilised world has laws for the masses and laws for me."

* In ''Fanfic/WhatHathJoinedTogether'', the noble unicorn Orion hoped tried to make Princess Twilight Sparkle [[{{invoked}} invoke]] this. He went to Twilight Sparkle to ask her to overturn the laws forbidding his marriage to an earth pony, knowing that Twilight has the authority to do while hoping she was progressive enough to allow it. [[{{subverted}} Unfortunately]], Twilight's upbringing meant she never questioned "the Order's" necessity and respects Celestia far to much to go around her back, and things get worse from there.

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

* ''FanFic/DarlingInTheFranxxHomecoming'': In Chapter 17, after Ichigo has had Zero Two kicked out of Squad 13, [[OCStandIn Code]] [[AudienceSurrogate 059]] gives her a WhatTheHellHero, stating outright that for all of Ichigo's claims of Zero Two being a monster and a danger to Squad 13, it's crystal clear that her attempts to get her away from Hiro and kicked out of their team are just Ichigo abusing her power as leader to [[RemovingTheRival get her out of the way]] so she can have Hiro to herself.
* In the ''FanFic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', Danny finally (and ''epically'') calls Walker out on this, calling him the biggest hypocrite he's ''ever'' met.

* {{Subverted}} in the {{omake}} of the ''{{Franchise/Naruto}}'' slash fic ''Fanfic/ManOfDreams''.
-->'''Hashirama''': Dude, how ‘bout we do one better and get married?\\
'''Madara:''': Dude, that’s not even legal.\\

'''Madara''': Dude, that’d just be weird. Let’s just live in sin, sin is sexier.
* ''Fanfic/MeanRabbit'': Despite Izuku performing well in the physical aspects of his Quirk Assessment Test, Aizawa still declares that he placed last and is expelled purely because [[FantasticRacism he's Quirkless]]. When he challenges this and successfully beats the five other lowest-scored students in a rematch, Aizawa responds by temporarily expelling all five of them instead. Once the 'logical ruse' is exposed the following day in class, Aizawa insists that he's got every right to [[SadistTeacher treat his pupils like shit]].
* In the ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' fanfic ''[[Fanfic/MistakeSherlockHolmes Mistake]]'', Watson ends up in critical condition, and Mycroft is initially able to stay nearby because he told the staff that he's Watson's older brother. When the attendant physician finds out the truth, he isn't pleased. However, he decides to ignore the "only family allowed" rule after Mycroft proves that he practically ''is'' the British government and could have the entire facility shut down if he desired.
* ''FanFic/MyBrideIsAMermaidWeddingBells'': In Chapters 3 and 4, upon finding out about Nagasumi's association with the Seto Gang, Mawari's immediate reaction is to go straight to Nagasumi and Sun's house and try to arrest them. However, after sitting down with them and talking things out, Mawari decides to let them go since she was technically off-duty at the time anyway.

* ''Fanfic/RubyPair'': Beauticiatron's rationale in "My Fair Tenn" for [[spoiler: overriding Tenn's victory and giving it to GIR instead]] is that her company's financing the [[BeautyContest pageant]], so she can do whatever she wants with it.
* In Chapter 5 of ''FanFic/SaviorOfDemons'', Goku, in trying to understand [[HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster why Frieza is the way he is,]] asks him why he couldn't just change the rules -- after all, [[AppealToForce he's so strong, nobody could tell him no, right?]] Frieza tells him that it would be suicidal, even for him, suggesting that [[AlwaysABiggerFish he's not the biggest fish in the galactic pond,]] at least in terms of influence.

* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' [[AlternateUniverseFic AU]] ''Fanfic/ThoseWhoStandForNothingFallForAnything'' when no one comments when [[PresidentEvil Light]] lights up a cigarette in a hospital room he takes that as "proof that the civilised world has laws for the masses and laws for me."

* In ''FanFic/WhatHathJoinedTogether'', the noble unicorn Orion hoped tried to make Princess Twilight Sparkle [[{{invoked}} invoke]] this. He went to Twilight Sparkle to ask her to overturn the laws forbidding his marriage to an earth pony, knowing that Twilight has the authority to do while hoping she was progressive enough to allow it. [[{{subverted}} Unfortunately]], Twilight's upbringing meant she never questioned "the Order's" necessity and respects Celestia far to much to go around her back, and things get worse from there.

Don't care if your handicap\\

* Beat*\\

-->'''Harvey:''' I'm not sure they'll let us.
-->'''Bruce:''' Oh they should, I own the place. ''(gestures to the staff)''

--> '''Legal Eagle:''' Maybe I'm giving them a high grade just because I love this episode so, so much, but it's my show and I can do whatever I want!
--> '''Bart:''' There's something unsettling about that...

* ''Manga/KomiCantCommunicate'': Kawai Rami is fully prepared to become Prime Minister of Japan and [[MarryThemAll legalize polygamy]] if it means [[spoiler:she will be able to stay with Tadano even though he's already dating Komi]].
* For sheer political power, none of the other examples on the list surpass ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'''s Prime Minister Wong. How powerful is Wong? Well, thanks to Master Asia's victory in the Gundam Fight four years ago, Wong ''rules the universe''. This allows him to screw the rules however he likes, from turning the Fight into a DeadlyGame where attacking the cockpit is allowed to allowing Fighters into the finals who were blatantly defeated and/or disqualified. His counterpart in the manga has a line predating Gilgamesh below:
--> '''Wong:''' To put it lightly, I don't just make the rules, [[IAmTheNoun I am the rules]]!

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' overlaps this with DiplomaticImpunity. The World Nobles use their position as descendants of the Twenty Kings who originally founded the (highly corrupt) World Government to do as they please whenever and wherever they go, and ''anyone'' who tries to interfere with or touch them in anyway will face the power of an Admiral. They're even allowed to shoot people in broad daylight without punishment.
** [[spoiler:This becomes especially evident when it's revealed that Donquixote Doflamingo, the most psychotic member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, is a former World Noble. He may have left them, but {{Blackmail}} still leaves him with enough power to outright deceive the entire world into believing that he had abdicated his position as a Warlord just to trick a mere ten people, something that would've been impossible otherwise.]]
** And if that isn't enough, during the battle of Marineford, Doflamingo gives a speech about how the ones with the most power get to decide this, and that Marineford was neutral ground due to the fact that everything is WrittenByTheWinners.

* Gold Watch from Manga/{{Ouroboros}}: “The ones who can effortlessly crush that tiny life of yours should be the police too, right?”

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Article 1 Section 5 of the US Constitution gives each chamber of Congress to set up their own rules as they see fit. This can lead to strange politics when Congress subverts its own rules by making new ones.
** For example, the rule governing filibusters in the US Senate requires a two thirds majority (67 out of 100 senators) to invoke cloture, not even a sixty vote majority. Recently, the Senate changed those rules on filibusters in some cases to be just a bare majority (51).
*** To clarify, the Democrats changed this rule after getting fed up with Republican tactics to block Obama nominees that they did not like, effectively allowing the President to name anyone he wants to any position he can (a special exception was made that preserved the Supreme Court) so long as that person does not upset his party's sensibilities[[note]]This was after the minority GOP had filibustered ''89'' separate judgeship positions -- all of which were filled under Trump[[/note]]. GoneHorriblyRight in 2016, when the Democrats failed to secure both the Senate and the White House and had no recourse on UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump's picks. To top it off, Republicans now like the rule so much, they extended it to Supreme Court nominations throughout Trump's presidency, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard much to the Democrats' horror]].
** As it goes, these changes on a whole do not play well with the erosion of checks on the Senate as handing more power to each party.
** Another example is that a quorum (ie a majority of the chamber's members) must be present to vote before any law can be passed. However, the rules of the House and Senate both presume that a quorum is always present unless a member demands a quorum call to actually count the members, or a roll call vote is held in which each member's vote of yes or no is recorded. Thus, if nobody shows up to a session to oppose a bill and demand a quorum, it can be "unanimously" passed by voice vote despite far less than a quorum having voted. This infamously happened with the so-called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Sunday_Compromise "Palm Sunday Compromise"]], which was passed by the Senate with only 3 Senators present rather the required minimum of 51. Whether the House and Senate actually have the proper legal authority to handle quorums in this way, seeing as the quorum requirement is spelled out in the US Constitution rather than being a rule that Congress itself created, is up for debate.
* UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr was quoted with saying, "Never forget that everything [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]] did in Germany was legal." Believe it or not, he had a point:
** The 'constitutional' basis for Nazi laws was the 1933 Enabling Act, which gave Hitler, as Chancellor, the power to make laws and change the constitution without consulting the Reichstag [[note]]Except for anything to do with the President. Hitler actually broke that rule once, in August 1934 when he merged to now-vacant office of President with his own office of Chancellor, but by that point it was too late for anyone to do anything about it[[/note]]. So there was a rule that allowed Hitler to make the rules as and when he preferred, although he passed this law by way of things like arresting all the Communist party deputies and then not counting anyone who wasn't "present without excuse" to determine if enough representatives were present to pass the two-thirds threshold for constitutional amendments. Or like filling the building with SA troops to intimidate the deputies into voting for the act.
** Then the day after the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives Night of the Long Knives]], a second rule -- ''Ex post facto law'' -- was passed. In the field of criminal legislation, it violated every hitherto accepted principle of German law, but from the Nazi point of view this made the killings perfectly "legal".
* The Trial of [[UsefulNotes/LouisXVI Louis XVI of France]] [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution in 1792]] produced some interesting arguments. Pretty much everyone agreed that Louis was guilty, but ''why'' he was seemed to be more important than ''whether'' he was:
** [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolutionMajorFigures Jean-Paul Marat]], despite generally being considered an enthusiastic advocate of execution in the rest of the revolution, took a surprisingly limited stance -- Louis was only guilty if he had violated the constitution of 1791 (which of course Marat believed he had).
** [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolutionMajorFigures Louis-Antoine Saint-Just]] and [[Creator/ThomasPaine Thomas Paine]], among others, argued that while the trial was necessary, it was making the wrong charges; simply having been King was in itself a crime and enough to make Louis guilty, despite the fact that Louis' kingship had been legal by the laws in place at the time.
** [[UsefulNotes/MaximilienRobespierre Maximilien Robespierre]] largely accepted the aforementioned argument by Paine and Saint-Just, but took it even further; he argued that the trial was not even necessary because the very act of dethroning Louis and declaring France a Republic already made him guilty: putting him on trial meant accepting there was ''some'' possibility, however small, that Louis might be innocent, which meant putting the legitimacy of the Republic in doubt, and they could only hold a trial if the Republic was legitimate.
* UsefulNotes/RichardNixon effectively said this in the interviews with David Frost (see the page quote) when discussing the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huston_Plan Huston Plan]], in which he had given his approval to a plan calling for domestic burglary and illegal surveillance of suspected radicals. Note that he didn't get away with it when he tried, and people were rather shocked when he said it (or more accurately, that he said it so bluntly; people weren't ''terribly'' surprised to learn that "Tricky Dick" was a paranoid autocrat, but that he would say so out loud...).
-->'''David Frost:''' So what, in a sense, you're saying is that there are times -- the Huston Plan, or at least that part of it, was one of them -- when the President can decide it's in the best interest of the nation, or something, and do something illegal?\\
'''Richard Nixon:''' Well, when the President does it, that means that it is ''not'' illegal.\\
'''David Frost:''' By definition?\\
'''Richard Nixon:''' Exactly.
* During one sack of the city of Rome, a Gaul general named Brennus offered to ransom the city in return for a payment of gold by weight. When some of the Roman tribunes noticed that the Gaul-provided weights for determining the ransom were fixed and dared to tell him this, he responded by unsheathing his sword, throwing it upon the scale as well, and telling them (presumably through a translator) "Vae victis" or "Woe to the vanquished."
* The Byzantine senator [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I Justinian]] fell in love with Theodora, an actress. It was totally illegal for senators to marry actresses, who were seen as very much the dregs of humanity. Justinian, however, happened to be not only the nephew of the Emperor but his most trusted adviser, so the law was promptly changed and he married Theodora. ([[VindicatedByHistory Later he succeeded his uncle as Emperor and, when faced with a rebellion, Theodora was the only person who advised him against fleeing. He defeated the rebellion and reigned for decades more, and is known to this day as "Justinian the Great."]])
* A lawsuit filed on July 3, 2013 [[https://www.courthousenews.com/Police-Commandeer-Homes,-Get-Sued/ alleges that the Henderson, NV police, after being denied usage of Anthony Mitchell's home for surveillance purposes, opted to instead take it by force]]. Simply put, it's the first time the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Judicial_interpretation Third Amendment]] has been invoked on the grounds of "quartering soldiers" since the late 1970s. Per the official report: ''"It was determined to move to 367 Evening Side and attempt to contact Mitchell. If Mitchell answered the door he would be asked to leave. If he refused to leave he would be arrested for Obstructing a Police Officer. If Mitchell refused to answer the door, force entry would be made and Mitchell would be arrested."'' This particular rationale was later quashed by a judge, as police officers aren't members of the military -- the lawsuit was allowed to proceed on the premise that the police's conduct violated the 4th (unreasonable search and seizure) and 1st (Free Speech) Amendments, however.
* There was a rule book laying out the expected behavior for Alcatraz that contained 53 rules. The last rule? "[[LoopholeAbuse If you do something we don't have a rule for]], [[ObviousRulePatch we will make a rule up on the spot and punish you for it.]]"
* Defied by UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant. While President, Grant was stopped for speeding. (Yes, in a horse-drawn carriage. The man loved his horses.) The cop who flagged Grant over immediately apologized after he realized whom he was talking to and offered to let the whole thing go. The President waved this off, replying "Officer, do your duty."
* Defied by Ho Chi Minh, the Prime Minister of Vietnam during TheForties, who found himself stopped by an officer guarding a Communist base. The officer insisted that Ho provide some form of identification (he had forgotten his ID) to be let in. This is the equivalent of asking ''the U.S. president'' for ID to enter the White House. After some back and forth, the officer's superior arrived and started to tell him off for not recognizing Ho, but was waved aside as the junior officer was simply doing his duty.
* Played straight by UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce, who ran over an old woman with his carriage, possibly while drunk. The one-term president faced down the arresting officer with the line "I am Mr. Pierce," and was eventually released.
* [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope Celestine V]] was originally a monk, and only ended up appointed Pope to break a tie. He did four things as Pope: 1) put the French king's lackeys in the clergy; 2) re-institute the Conclave with all its restrictions to the Cardinals electing a new Pope to insure quick Papal elections in the future (his own had taken ''two years'' before the Cardinals settled on him; 3) issue a decree allowing the Pope to quit; and 4) [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere take immediate advantage of that last decree]].
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United_States Civil asset forfeiture]] allows police officers to seize cash and property from people if they suspect that they were obtained by crime without people being formally charged. There's a perverse incentive for cops to seize large amounts of cash and cars from people on flimsy pretexts. Taken to the next level, it's also a wider symptom of [[DirtyCop police corruption]]. Needless to say, there is a significant movement to restrict or outlaw this as a violation of the 4th Amendment (unreasonable search and seizure) and/or 8th Amendment (excessive fines, [[https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBTR3Jd?m=en-us&referrerID=InAppShare under which rationale the Supreme Court ruled against it in 2019]]).
* Unfortunately, there are some legal guardians (and other older relatives) and school staff[[note]]This can even include babysitters as well as caregivers at a day care.[[/note]] who may either do this, or be perceived as doing this, which can also (but not necessarily always) cross over into being the previously mentioned abuse of authority, causing some sons, daughters, and students[[note]]In the case of babysitters, this can also include their charges.[[/note]] to come to the conclusion that adults get to make (and change) the rules as they see fit[[note]]Which may be true from a legal perspective, but not from a social one.[[/note]], and there's nothing they can do about it (until they turn whatever their town / city / state / province / country says is the age of majority). At worst, they may even stop trusting all adults (yes, including even their own parents and older relatives, etc.) completely.
* [[Literature/ThePowerBroker Robert Moses]], New York City's legendary infrastructure czar during the middle decades of the 20th century, used to like sort of invoking this trope in his later years when he'd let some newly hired young lawyer at one of the agencies he ran go on for a while expounding on a particular area of relevant law to whatever it was they were doing or trying to do, then stopping the fellow with "I know the law, young man ... I ''wrote it''", which he actually had.[[note]]Moses, who never studied law, was said to know the law better than most lawyers. He didn't quite fit this trope because he had no rulemaking authority himself, but as a practical matter had drafted the laws in question earlier in his career in a way that gave him nearly unlimited latitude to do as he saw fit without real oversight; his influence over the city council and state legislature was such that if he really needed to change the law, it would have been done with little fuss.[[/note]]
* Pope Francis washed the feet of both men and women on Maundy Thursday, although the rubrics for the rite specified “twelve men”. Because he’s the Pope and you’re not. When no catastrophe ensued, he changed the rule for general use.
* [[http://ww2.cfo.com/the-economy/2018/11/the-federal-government-does-not-need-revenue/ Modern monetary theory]] argues that, unlike private individuals or organizations (or national subdivisions, e.g. provinces and municipalities), and contrary to hand-wringing over budget deficits, sovereign nation-states that are the sole supplier of their own currency[[note]]e.g. the United States is the sole supplier of US dollars, whereas France does not supply the euro: the euro's monetary policy is set by the European Central Bank[[/note]] ''can issue as much currency as they like and cannot go bankrupt''. This is an extrapolation of the fact that modern currency, technically termed "fiat money", only has value in the first place because the government says it does. Under MMT, rather than providing the government with revenue needed to operate, taxes simply give the government a way to shape the economy to its preferences by incentivizing non-governmental entities to spend or not spend their money in particular ways.
* The Quakers have no formal clergy, believing that no one has the authority or right to intercede between you and God, including at your wedding, where they believe it's best to make your vows directly to God in front of witnesses but with no human third-party effectively giving you permission or approval. This didn't jibe with the religious establishment originally surrounding them in England or the New World, so, unsurprisingly, they once faced a lot of persecution for such practices, with courts refusing to recognize their marriages, declaring their children illegitimate, etc. Well, William Penn was a Quaker, so when he founded the British colony now known as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he was able to make it legal for two people to marry with witnesses only, no officiant required. ([[https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/tying-your-own-knot-in-pennsylvania-couples-can-wed-through-a-self-uniting-marriage-license/Content?oid=1805655 Yes, the rule he made still exists today.]])
* Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook notably changed the rules regarding posts that appeared when you did not follow them. This was notable when users complained about Alex Jones posts appearing on their feeds even when they did not follow him.
* During a 2019 MLB game between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, umpire Ron Kulpa kept staring in the Astros' dugout. Astros personnel told Kulpa to pay attention to the game, to which Kulpa responded by ejecting hitting coach Alex Cintron and manager A.J. Hinch. Before ejecting the latter, Kulpa screamed "I can do anything I want!"
* Thomas Reid, Speaker of the House in the 1890s, wrote the book "Reid's Rules of Order" for procedure in the House. When an opposing Congressman triumphantly showed the applicable rule in it to prove Reid had made an error, he glanced at it before saying dismissively, "Oh, the book is wrong."
* The Chinese Communist Party
** They are notorious for utilizing this. They have rules and laws for anyone to follow but will ignore said rules to do as they please (not helped that they are written in a vague way that allows LoopholeAbuse). This leaves ordinary citizens (especially minorities) at the mercy of authorities who are unable to file complaints and petitions against them (petitions are generally frowned upon by the Chinese government). Lawyers, human rights groups, and doctors that help minority groups, and victims of oppression and unfair treatment, [[PunishedForSympathy are especially targeted]] which goes against the rules and regulations they set up in the first place.
** This is became more prominent during the 2022 Beijing Olympics where they deliberately allowed Chinese athletes to play dirty against foreign competitors to gain an unfair advantage while punishing the latter when they decide to complain... Or for their [[BlatantLies supposed violation of uniform code.]]
* On July 20, 2021, the FAA changed the rules determining who could be classified as an astronaut. Prior to that day, the only real rule was that, to be classified as one, one would have to ascend to 50 miles above sea level. On that day, they added that they also had to show that they “demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety.” This was mainly done to prevent Jeff Bezos, former Amazon CEO and richest man in the world, and other wealthy from trivializing the idea of an astronaut. Oh, and the day they changed it was the day Bezos went up into space and just floated around.
* Zigzagged with national constitutions, which are the general "rulebooks" for how their countries are governed and their general values. Political figures that are bound by the constitution can and do try to change it for their own purposes, but the threshold to do so is often very high for obvious reasons. When it isn't, established presidents and prime ministers can often use LoopholeAbuse to get their country's constitution changed almost at will, particularly in removing checks and balances to their power. This is one of the main ways dictators often cement their grip on power.
* On May 27, 2022 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused of doing exactly this after rewriting the ministerial code to allow ministers to avoid resignation for breaching the code of conduct; blocking the "independent advisor" from launching independent investigations -which now require the permission of the Prime Minister-; and also deleting from its foreword any previous mention to honesty, integrity, transparency and accountablity.
** The reason he decided to do this in the first place is also a prime example: the 'Partygate' scandal, during which Johnson and numerous other government figures were fined for attending gatherings in Number Ten during the worst of the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic when such events were illegal ''under the government's own restrictions''. [[SarcasmMode This of course did wonders for their poll numbers]].
* In 121 BC Gaius Gracchus and his allies had been causing serious turmoil and riots in Rome, safe in the fact they were popular enough it would take armed troops to kill them and it was forbidden to carry weapons inside the ''pomerium'' (the sacred area of Rome) on pain of sacrilege and a horrible death. When his entourage stabbed a man to death with writing stiluses for jeering at him, however, the Senate invented the ''Senatus Consultum Ultimum'' (Senate's Ultimate Decree), that is a law to do something for the good of the state and ignore any other law, and issued one for his death, allowing the Consul to bring armed troops inside the ''pomerium'' and kill Gracchus and his followers while they were taking asylum in a temple.
* Defied by UsefulNotes/LouisXIV, of all people. Despite being famous for his [[IAmTheNoun "I am the state"]] attitude [[BeamMeUpScotty (although he never actually said it)]] some of Louis' reforms involved actually ''enforcing'' the rules. He cracked down on the corruption and lawlessness of certain nobles as a show of royal strength, reasserting the eroded royal authority. When he did change the rules, he often did so by coercing the nobles into agreeing with him by applying the BreadAndCircuses trope to them. He distracted them with grand parties, meaningless flatteries and the chance to gain glory in war.
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* ''Film/{{Underworld}}'': Viktor, along with the other vampire elders, drafted a law forbidding vampires from feeding on humans, but Viktor, according to Kraven, "never could follow his own rules" and thus gorged on human blood regularly. Selene's family were among his victims.

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[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/justify.PNG]]]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/king-of-swords-10-150 Way to rub it in, Mr. Solomon David.]]]]

* A common way people, usually children, annoy someone is to repeat every word they say. The person being imitated might try to say something self deprecating like "I am an idiot", but the imitator will usually reverse the insult by saying "you are an idiot" or simply agree with the insult saying "I know".

** The 'constitutional' basis for Nazi laws was the 1933 Enabling Act, which gave Hitler, as Chancellor, the power to make laws and change the constitution without consulting the Reichstag [[note: Except for anything to do with the President. Hitler actually broke that rule once, in August 1934 when he merged to now-vacant office of President with his own office of Chancellor, but by that point it was too late for anyone to do anything about it]]. So there was a rule that allowed Hitler to make the rules as and when he preferred, although he passed this law by way of things like arresting all the Communist party deputies and then not counting anyone who wasn't "present without excuse" to determine if enough representatives were present to pass the two-thirds threshold for constitutional amendments. Or like filling the building with SA troops to intimidate the deputies into voting for the act.

** The 'constitutional' basis for Nazi laws was the 1933 Enabling Act, which gave Hitler, as Chancellor, the power to make laws and change the constitution without consulting the Reichstag. So there was a rule that allowed Hitler to make the rules as and when he preferred, although he passed this law by way of things like arresting all the Communist party deputies and then not counting anyone who wasn't "present without excuse" to determine if enough representatives were present to pass the two-thirds threshold for constitutional amendments. Or like filling the building with SA troops to intimidate the deputies into voting for the act.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Averted in the episode "Atonement", when Delenn goes to her clan council to hear the verdict on her marriage even though she is the most powerful woman in Minbar. On the other hand she seemed to be willing to make Minbari policy practically by herself earlier. Perhaps the discrepancy can be [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] by saying the one was an unusual security crisis and the other was just a personal matter. Also these were her [[ThickerThanWater kin]] after all.
** Knowing Delenn, she would have found ''some'' way of getting past an unfavorable decision no matter what. Fortunately, there was a convenient way of justifying her engagement to Sheridan.
* ''Series/{{Blackadder II}}'': This was Queenie's preferred method of winning arguments with her subordinates -- simply retort "Who's Queen?" to [[ImpliedDeathThreat convince them]] to agree with her.
-->'''Melchett''': (''resigned'') As you say, Majesty, there were these magnificent ''orange'' elephants which were coming...

** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E2TheAwakening "The Awakening"]], villainous local squire Sir George Hutchinson has it pointed out to him that he is detaining people illegally. His response? "As the local magistrate, I will find myself quite innocent."
** At the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars "The Waters of Mars"]], the Doctor (who up until this point has refused to save some humans whose deaths are part of history) breaks down and realizes that since ''he'' is [[LastOfHisKind last of the Time Lords]], this trope applies to him: "''Do you know who that leaves? ME!! It's taken me all these years to realize it, but all those laws of time are mine. '''And they will obey ME!!!''' ''". It...doesn't [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone end very well]] -- [[InSpiteOfANail Time is more resilient]] than he realizes, and [[spoiler:the woman he rescues commits suicide moments thereafter]], preserving the integrity of history and sending the Doctor into a HeroicBSOD over his arrogance. It's actually rather interesting to realize that in fact, he is [[IronicEcho virtually repeating]], verbatim, what a [[TheMaster certain friend of his]] has been saying for quite a while now....
*** In the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]] we learn that the entire race of Time Lords had reached a similar conclusion, and that's why the Doctor had to wipe them out in the first place.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': Characters do this sometimes. Elliot Stabler does this almost constantly. He regularly uses questionable or outright illegal interrogation techniques (like threatening to break a suspect's neck), uses his badge to try getting his daughter Kathleen out of trouble (at one point saying that her breaking into someone's house is a "harmless prank"), and generally fails to actually follow 90% of the rules that police officers are supposed to be following.
** If it wasn't for his 97% closer rate, it is pretty clear he would have had the TurnInYourBadge speech a long time ago.

* ''Series/{{Life on Mars|2006}}'' (specifically Gene Hunt's last line in the series):

'''Gene:''' What are you talking about, Tyler? I am the law!
* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'':

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Scotty gets a great one in the episode "Relics". He and Geordi are attempting to repair a beat up old rustbucket of a ship and tells Geordi to shunt some fuel to an auxiliary tank. Geordi protests that the system specs say doing so will blow everything up. Scotty, being the author of said specs, admits that "a good engineer is always a wee bit conservative, at least on paper" and that the procedure will work.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': In the episode "The Doomsday Machine", Kirk pretty much pulls this trope, telling Spock to retake command of the ''Enterprise'' under his "personal authority as captain" before Commodore Decker ends up destroying the ship and killing his crew in his maddened RoaringRampageOfRevenge against an ancient machine destroying planets.

* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': Professor Crumbs gives full Wizard status to both Justin and Alex, despite the fact that there's a rule saying that only one wizard per family can be a full wizard. This is so Justin can take over his position as headmaster of WizTech. The only reason he could possibly be allowed to disregard the rules in this manner is because he is the head of the governing body that created them.
* ‘’Series/YesPrimeMinister’’: A reporter asks Bernard if what Hacker has done violates the Official Secrets Act. He tries to deflect this by saying “The Prime Minister can clear anything”, which only leads to being backed into a corner, and headlines of WOOLLEY SAYS THE PRIME MINISTER IS ABOVE THE LAW. Followed by Hacker lecturing him on eight ways to dodge a direct question.

* The law in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' states that the princess of Agribah must be married to a prince by the time she comes of age. The Sultan insists on the law not only because it's the law, but because he wants someone to care and provide for his daughter when he eventually passes away. After Aladdin saves the day, proving his worth in the Sultan's eyes, the Sultan decides to overrule the law so Jasmine may marry whomever she chooses.
-->'''Sultan:''' Well, am I sultan or am I sultan?

* In ''LightNovel/AFoxsTale'', [[BigBad Lord Drake]] demands that all people with "talents" (e.g. manipulating elements or shapeshifting) [[MutantDraftBoard be registered, apparently so he can make an army out of them]]. Conveniently enough, Lord Drake doesn't register himself despite being a spiritkin, a talent and an arcane mage. Lampshaded by Jona, when, after Ember mentions this information, he asks, "Of course not, who makes laws and then follows them himself?"

* [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope Celestine V]] was originally a monk, and only ended up appointed Pope to break a tie. He did three things as Pope: 1) put the French king's lackeys in the clergy; 2) issue a decree allowing the Pope to quit; and 3) [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere take immediate advantage of that decree]].