Setting the Default Assertion Status for a Class Loader

Each class loader maintains a default assertion status, a boolean value that determines whether assertions are, by default, enabled or disabled in new classes that are subsequently initialized by the class loader. A newly created class loader's default assertion status is false (disabled). It can be changed at any time by invoking a new method in class ClassLoader:

public void setDefaultAssertionStatus(boolean enabled)

If, at the time that a class is loaded, its class loader has been given specific instructions regarding the assertion status of the class's package name or its class name (via either of the two new methods in ClassLoader described below), those instructions take precedence over the class loader's default assertion status. Otherwise, the class's assertions are enabled or disabled as specified by its class loader's default assertion status.