GUILTY or NOT?

GUILTY or NOT? / Glossary

Legal glossary

necessity

A defense that justifies an otherwise illegal act when committed to prevent a greater harm, with no reasonable legal alternative.

Cases that turn on it

The 2 real court cases in the library whose brief uses this term. Read the facts, then decide — the verdict stays in the game.

• The Jailbreak 1980 United States v. Bailey — Escape from Federal Custody (18 U.S.C. § 751(a))
• The Tucson IRS Protest 1992 United States v. Schoon — Obstruction of Federal Agency Operations; Failure to Comply with Federal Police Order

See also: Defenses

• affirmative defense
• self-defense
• castle doctrine
• insanity defense
• entrapment

← motion to suppress · per se → · All 44 terms

A new real case every day. Read the brief, weigh both sides, commit to a verdict, then see what the court decided — and why.

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