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not guilty n1: a plea by a criminal defendant who intends to contest the charges compare guilty, nolo contendere◇ Under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, if a defendant refuses to plead or if the defendant is a corporation that fails to appear the court must enter a plea of not guilty on the defendant's behalf.2: a verdict rendered by a jury acquitting a criminal defendant upon finding that the prosecution has not proven the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
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adjective
above suspicion, blameless, clean-handed, exculpable, faultless, free from guilt, guilt-free, guiltless, impeccable, incorrupt, inculpable, innocent, not responsible, sinless, unblemished, unimpeachable, uninvolved
associated concepts: plea of not guilty
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index
acquitted, blameless, clean, clear (free from criminal charges), inculpable, irreprehensible
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
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n.(1) A plea given by a criminal defendant who denies committing the crime in question.(2) A verdict given by the jury in a criminal trial if it finds that the state has not proved its case against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
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the verdict of a court that a person is not, in law or in fact, responsible for the crime charged against him. See guilty, not proven.
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.
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A plea entered by a defendant in a criminal case. Often erroneously confused with a claim of innocence, technically a plea of not guilty simply compels the prosecution to prove every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. When the jury (or a judge sitting without a jury) acquits a defendant after trial, they return a verdict of "not guilty," which indicates their conclusion that the prosecution did not meet its burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. (See also: reasonable doubt)Category: Criminal LawCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
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n.1 A determination by a jury that the evidence is insufficient to convict the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt.2 A defendant's plea in court denying the prosecution's charges.@ not guilty by reason of insanityA jury verdict or plea that acknowledges that the defendant committed the crime but states that he or she was not responsible for his or her actions by reason of a mental disease or defect, and so could not have formed the requisite mens rea, and therefore, is not guilty.@
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
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n.1) plea of a person who claims not to have committed the crime of which he/she is accused, made in court when arraigned (first brought before a judge) or at a later time set by the court. The choices of what one can plea are: guilty, not guilty, no contest, not guilty by reason of insanity, or incompetent to stand trial.2) verdict after trial by a judge sitting without a jury or by a jury (unanimous decision in all but two states, which allow a verdict by only 10 of 12 jurors), stating that the prosecution has not proved the defendant guilty of a crime or that it believes the accused person was insane at the time the crime was committed. The accused cannot be tried again for the crime charged.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.