He suggested a six-month building moratorium, which he said was legally defensible if there was a specific purpose for it.

"Failure to have a legally defensible process" can lead to "materially false" disclosures, he said.

The claim is then considered a legally defensible right, though since 1994 Congress has barred claims from passing to full legal ownership, a process called patenting.

"This award is legally defensible on every front," he declared.

If voters substitute the current law with a legally defensible measure, term limits could continue to stir the state's political pot.

Administration officials said such preferences, while legally defensible, might be seen as unfair because they suggested that for certain Government contracts, whites need not apply.

"They're equipped, they're in the field, and they are the only legally defensible option we have."

Because we must act in a way that is legally defensible.

If we represent an officer, that means we think their acts are legally defensible.

A cutscore should always be set with a legally defensible method, such as a modified Angoff procedure.