Penumbra Law and Legal Definition
Penumbra is the implied rights provided in the U.S. constitution, or in a rule. Literally, the term penumbra was created to describe the shadows that occur during eclipses. The term penumbra is used in legal sense as a metaphor describing implied powers of the federal government. Penumbra doctrine is used to represent implied powers that arise from a specific rule, and extending the meaning of the rule into its periphery or penumbra. For example, privacy rights without government intervention is implied from First Amendment of the U.S. constitution.
