Who said 'The law is an ass'?

Answer 1

The real answer is that the phrase "The law is an ass" originates in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, when the character Mr. Bumble is informed that "the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction".

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And may I add that an ass is an animal; a cross between a horse and a donkey. As far as I know they are always male and always sterile. Also donkeys and asses are traditionally considered to be "a little stupid and very stubborn." Hence, "The law is an ass," as it is frequently both stupid and stubborn.

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Two corrections.

1. The Dickens quote is 'If the law supposes that,'said Mr Bumble...'the law is a ass, a idiot.' Thus, the law is stupid.

2. An ass, in England, is a simple donkey, which is wrongly assumed to be stupid. The cross with a horse is a mule, and it is that which is stubborn and barren/sterile, as it in fact has no sex ['gender' in the idiotic modern parlance] at all, like many hybrids.

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Second correction:

A mule is the product of a male donkey and a female horse (a mare). The product of a male horse (a stallion) and a female donkey is a hinny. No male mules or hinnies have been known to be fertile, but a small number of the females of both types are known to be fertile. The cause of the infertility of mules and hinnies is the structural differences in the chromosomes from their parents, resulting in difficulty producing viable gametes. The genitalia of both mules and hinnies develop normally.

Answer 2

Charles Dickens did not originate this phrase. He copies from an older work, a play by the English dramatist George Chapman in 1654 - Revenge for Honour:

Ere he shall lose an eye for such a trifle... For doing deeds of nature! I'm ashamed. The law is such an a**.