McNabb-Mallory rule

noun

Mc·​Nabb-Mal·​lo·​ry rule

mək-ˈnab-ˈma-lə-rē-

: a doctrine in criminal procedure: an arrestee must be brought before a magistrate without unnecessary delay in order for a confession made during detention to be admissible

Note: In practice, the rule is not absolute. Under the U.S. Code, a delay of more than six hours in bringing an arrestee before a magistrate will not render a confession inadmissible if the delay was reasonable in light of distance and transportation.

Word History

Etymology

after McNabb v. United States, 318 U.S. 332 (1943) and Mallory v. United States, 354 U.S. 449 (1957), U.S. Supreme Court cases that established the rule