lenity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The biggest side-squabble revolved around an issue that Kagan didn’t even address: the rule of lenity, which requires courts to interpret ambiguous criminal laws in favor of the defendant.
From Slate • Mar. 8, 2022
This opinion spurred Justice Brett Kavanaugh to write his own concurrence rejecting the rule of lenity while endorsing a requirement of “proof that the defendant was aware that his conduct was unlawful.”
From Slate • Mar. 8, 2022
Dershowitz further suggested that the "rule of lenity," or the legal doctrine that ambiguities should be resolved in favor of defendants, also counseled towards acquitting the president.
From Fox News • Jan. 27, 2020
They would also contravene the rule of lenity, which compels courts to interpret vague criminal laws in the defendant’s favor.
From Slate • Jun. 24, 2019
Like many people, Chris apparently judged artists and close friends by their work, not their life, yet he was temperamentally incapable of extending such lenity to his father.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Vocabulary lists containing lenity
