Operative and justificatory grounds in legal argumentation

In English A legal term that serves as a middle term in legal inferences can do so in different ways. A distinction between ‘mere’ vehicles of inference and operative middle terms will be shown to be important. It will be indicated how operative conditions give rise to the question of justificatory conformity or unconformity. At the end of the paper, it will be suggested how justificatory conformity is relevant to the coherence of legal argumentation.