as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
a social critic who argues that judicial lenity is chiefly to blame for the increased criminality that plagues us
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Recent Examples of lenity
Twelve judges sided with Cargill and concluded that the definition of machine gun was ambiguous enough to invoke a legal principle known as the rule of lenity, which requires courts to interpret unclear criminal laws in a way that's most favorable to the defendant.
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Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenity
Noun
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Gustavsson finally got the mercy pull after two periods (five goals on 26 shots) for Marc-Andre Fleury.Michael Russo, The Athletic, 13 Dec. 2024
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Last year alone, SpaceX and Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer, had deals with 17 federal agences—organizations that, as Trump has proposed, are at the mercy of an outside review panel known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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While many convicted in the deadly January 6 riot are already angling for pardons, there’s another group of high-profile defendants who could be interested in Trump’s leniency.Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
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Before Engelmayer handed down his sentence, Hernandez asked for leniency, pointing to how he has been stuck in solitary confinement since his arrest.Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The president has the power to grant clemency only for federal offenses, not state or local ones, and may pardon someone convicted in a U.S. District Court, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia or a military court-martial.Joedy McCreary, Austin American-Statesman, 7 Dec. 2024
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Jeffrey Crouch, an assistant professor of politics at American University and expert on the presidential pardon power, said a president can grant executive clemency as soon as a federal crime is committed and does not need to wait until someone is charged, tried or convicted.Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near lenity
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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