8 B. Legitimate passive uses in law

1. Procedural formulae: "It is hereby ordered that…"; "Let notice be issued."; "The parties are directed to…"2. When the actor is unknown or irrelevant: "The documents were removed from the registry."3. Softened responsibility — a rhetorical choice: "Mistakes were made" (no one made them!). Courts and drafters use the agentless passive to avoid naming — sometimes properly (institutional acts), sometimes evasively (beware!).