nolle prosequi

Definitions

  • WordNet 3.6
    • v nolle prosequi drop prosecution of by entering a nolle prosequi in the court records "They nolle prossed the charge"
    • n nolle prosequi an entry in the court record to the effect that the plaintiff or prosecutor will not proceed
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
    • Nolle prosequi (Law) Will not prosecute; -- an entry on the record, denoting that a plaintiff discontinues his suit, or the attorney for the public a prosecution; either wholly, or as to some count, or as to some of several defendants.
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Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
    • Nolle prosequi (nol′e pros′e-kwī) a term used in English law to indicate that the plaintiff does not intend to go on with his action
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Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
L., to be unwilling to prosecute
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
L. nolle, to be unwilling, velle, to be willing, tangĕre, to touch, prosequi, to prosecute.

Usage

In literature:

Explain some legal procedure as suggested by some term, as mandamus, injunction, demurrer, habeas corpus, nolle prosequi.
"Public Speaking" by Clarence Stratton
The district attorney, I suppose, will enter a nolle prosequi.
"The Paliser case" by Edgar Saltus
Will he consent to a 'nolle prosequi,' or must the cause go on?
"Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I." by Charles James Lever
An' he war sentenced, an' the case war nolle prosequied agin me!
"The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains" by Charles Egbert Craddock
NOLLE PROSEQUI (L.), to be unwilling to prosecute.
"Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)" by Various
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In news:

Eighth Judicial District Attorney General Paul Phillips, foreground, asked senior Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood Tuesday morning to grant a "nolle prosequi" in the case against Paul Gregory House.
knoxnews.com
Murder suspect's charges nolle prosequi.
fox43tv.com
A man previously arrested on charges he brutally murdered a beloved barber shop owner in 2010 is exonerated after his charges were nolle prosequi Friday.
fox43tv.com
Murder suspect's charges nolle prosequi .
fox43tv.com
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