How would you interpret the 'as' in 'based as it is on...' in the following sentence? Can 'as' in this usage be equivalent to either 'though' or 'because' in meaning, depending on the context?
(1) There remain ample grounds for judges to continue to sustain a belief in the common understanding doctrine as applied to eyewitness behavior, based as it is on the two premises.
In other words, can the relevant part be paraphrased as either of the following?
(2) a. ... because it is based on the two premises
b. ... though is is based on the two premises
When I google-searched for this expression, I hit a lot of them. Is 'based as it is on...' commonly used? And if so, which of the two meanings ('because' and 'though') does it more likely have?
Thank you for your help.
CuriousT
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