A necessity defense is a defense to liability for unlawful activity where the conduct cannot be avoided and one is justified in the particular conduct because it will prevent the occurrence of a harm that is more serious.
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criminal law
no bill
In criminal law, a “no bill” is said to occur when a grand jury decides that the evidence against a defendant is not sufficient to justify a trial.
Compare: true bill
[Last updated in July of 2024 by the Wex...
no contest
A plea by a criminal defendant that they will not contest a charge. A no contest plea does not expressly admit guilt, but nonetheless waives the right to a trial and authorizes the court to treat the criminal defendant as if they were guilty for...
no-knock warrant
A no-knock warrant is a search warrant authorizing police officers to enter certain premises without first knocking and announcing their presence or purpose prior to entering the premises. Such warrants are issued where an entry pursuant to...
nullum crimen sine lege
Nullum crimen sine lege is Latin for "no crime without law." The phrase reflects the principle in criminal law and international criminal law that a person cannot or should not face criminal punishment except for an act that was criminalized...
objection
An objection is a formal protest raised by a party or counsel during a legal proceeding asserting that an error, contrary to the rules of evidence or other procedural law, has been or will be made. The purpose of an objection is to provide...
obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice broadly refers to actions by individuals that illegally prevent or influence the outcome of a government proceeding. While the quintessential example of obstruction of justice involves tampering in a judicial proceeding...
offender
Offender is a legal term used in the context of criminal law to refer to a person convicted of committing a crime or offense. An adult offender is a person convicted of committing a crime after reaching the legal age of majority. A young...
offense
Offense is a legal term used to refer to conducts or omissions that violate and are punishable under criminal law. The terms offense, criminal offense, and crime are often used as interchangeable synonyms. The term offense may be frequently...
omission
Omission is refraining from acting or disclosing, see Brown v. Standard Casket Mfg. Co..
It can be used in various situations:
"Failure to disclose the origin of a recording” in criminal law is defined as following: “...