Facilitate Definition:

In Rewis, Justice Tuttle of the US Court of Appeals (5th Circuit) had before him a statute which criminalized interstate racketeering or the facilitation thereof.

The Court:

"The word facilitate means ... to make easy or less difficult."

This definition was reiterated in US v Phillips.

In R v Legaré, Canada's Supreme Court considered a section of the Criminal Code of Canada which prohibits the use of a computer system to lure a child.

At ¶28, Justice Fish wrote:

"(F)acilitating includes helping to bring about and making easier or more probable."

REFERENCES:

• Criminal Code R.S.C. 1985, Chapter C-46, §172.1
• Rewis v US 418 F. 2d 1218 (1969)
• R. v. Legare 2009 SCC 56
• US v Phillips 664 F. 2d 971 (US Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, 1981)