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.

Gorsuch is the court’s most consistent proponent of the rule of lenity, sometimes to the conservatives’ dismay.

From Slate • Mar. 1, 2023

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

In light of this uncertainty, the rule of lenity requires an interpretation that lets S.K. off the hook.

From Slate • Aug. 29, 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