Imminent - Law Dictionary Search Results
Home Dictionary Name: imminentImminently dangerous
Imminently dangerous, (of a person, behaviour, or thing) reasonably certain to place life and limb in peril. This term is relevant in several legal contexts. For example, if a mental condition renders a person imminently dangerous to self or others, he or she may be committed to a mental hospital. And the imminently dangerous behaviour of pointing a gun at someone's head could subject the actor to criminal and tort liability, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn., p. 752....
Imminence
The condition or quality of being imminent a threatening as of something about to happen The imminence of any danger or distress...
imminency
the state of being imminent and liable to happen soon imminence...
Imminently
In an imminent manner...
Right of private defence
Right of private defence, the right of private defence of person and property is recognised in all free, civilised, democratic societies within certain reasonable limits. Those limits are dictated by two considerations: (1) that the same right is claimed by all other members of the society and (2) that it is the State which generally undertakes the responsibility for the maintenance of law and order. The citizens, as a general rule, are neither expected to run away of safety when faced with grave and imminent danger to their person or property as a result of unlawful aggression, nor are they expected, by use of force, to right the wrongs done to them or to punish the wrongdoer for commission of offences. The right of private defence serves a social purpose and as observed by the Supreme Court more than once there is nothing more degrading to the human spirit than to run away in face of peril. But this right is basically preventive and not punitive, Gottipulla Venkata Siva Subbrayanam v...
battered woman's syndrome
battered woman's syndrome : the psychological symptoms suffered by a woman repeatedly abused by a mate (as a husband) NOTE: Battered woman's syndrome is used as a defense to violent criminal charges (as homicide). Evidence of repeated abuse is used to show that the defendant acted in self-defense even though the threat or danger was not imminent. Battered woman's syndrome is also used as a mitigating factor in sentencing. ...
clear and present danger
clear and present danger : a risk or threat to safety or other public interests that is serious and imminent ;esp : one that justifies limitation of a right (as freedom of speech or press) by the legislative or executive branch of government [a clear and present danger of harm to others or himself] see also freedom of speech, Schenck v. United States in the Important Cases section amendment i to the Constitution in the back matter ...
imperfect self-defense
imperfect self-defense : a defense based on self-defense that does not shield the defendant from all liability but reduces the liability esp. because the defendant actually but unreasonably believed that he or she was in imminent danger of death or great bodily injury NOTE: Imperfect self-defense is not recognized in all jurisdictions. When it is successfully used in criminal cases it eliminates the element of malice, reducing the level of the offense from murder to manslaughter. ...
jeopardy
jeopardy 1 : exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or injury 2 : the danger of conviction that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense see also double jeopardy NOTE: Jeopardy attaches, or comes into effect for double jeopardy purposes, when a jury is sworn in or, in a non-jury trial, when the judge begins to hear evidence. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids double jeopardy for the same offense, and this applies whether the first trial ends in acquittal, conviction, or a mistrial. If a mistrial occurs due to a manifest necessity or if a defendant appeals a conviction, however, the rule against double jeopardy does not apply. The issue of manifest necessity is determined by the trial judge and, if necessary, by an appeals court. ...
will
will 1 : the desire, inclination, or choice of a person or group 2 : the faculty of wishing, choosing, desiring, or intending 3 : a legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property after death ;esp : a formally executed written instrument by which a person makes disposition of his or her estate to take effect after death see also codicil, living will, testament antenuptial will : a will that was executed by a person prior to that person's marriage and is usually revocable by the court if no provision was made for the person's spouse unless an intention not to make such a provision is manifest conditional will : a will intended to take effect upon a certain contingency and usually construed as having absolute force when the language pertaining to the condition suggests a general purpose to make a will counter will : mutual will in this entry holographic will : a will written out in the hand of the testator and accepted as valid in many sta...
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