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.

But it might also reflect “the result of compromise, compassion, lenity, or misunderstanding of the governing law.”

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2024

Some decisions suggest that it applies only to “grievous ambiguities,” he noted, but “this ‘grievous’ business does not derive from any well-considered theory about lenity or the mainstream of this court’s opinions.”

From Slate • Mar. 1, 2023

Sotomayor joined most of Gorsuch’s full-throated support for the rule of lenity in Wooden.

From Slate • Mar. 1, 2023

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

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