Friday phrase: Nolo contendere

[med_cat]

Nolo contendere is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.

In criminal trials in certain U.S. jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of guilty or not guilty.

A no-contest plea, while not technically a guilty plea, has the same immediate effect as a guilty plea, and is often offered as a part of a plea bargain.[1] In many jurisdictions a plea of nolo contendere is not a right, and carries various restrictions on its use.

See further in this Wikipedia article

Comments

[anais-pf.livejournal.com]

Famously used in 1973 by the disgraced Vice President Spiro Agnew Agnew, in response to the charge that he had cheated the government of $13,551 on his federal income tax payment. They should have nailed him for accepting bribes from contractors in return for helping them get state government work in Maryland.

[med_cat]

Interesting bit of history, thanks :)