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Simple English definitions for legal terms

Moral Certainty

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A quick definition of Moral Certainty:

Moral Certainty: In a criminal trial, when the jury is sure that the defendant is guilty, they have moral certainty. It means that they have no doubts in their minds that the person committed the crime. This is the same as saying that the prosecution has proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

A more thorough explanation:

Definition: In a criminal trial, moral certainty is a standard of proof that is equivalent to proof beyond a reasonable doubt. It means that the evidence presented in court must satisfy the judgment and conscience of the jury, as reasonable people, that the defendant is guilty of the crime charged. The reasonable doubt/moral certainty standard is described in the Supreme Court case Agnew v. U.S., 165 U.S. 36, 51 (1897) as follows:

"The jury must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt as regards the guilt of the accused before they can find a verdict of guilty. By a 'reasonable doubt' is not meant a possible doubt, but such a doubt, arising from the evidence, that leaves the minds of the jury in such a state that they cannot say, after having reviewed all the evidence, that they have an abiding conviction, to a moral certainty, of the guilt of the accused."

Example: In a murder trial, the prosecution must present evidence that convinces the jury to a moral certainty that the defendant committed the crime. This means that the evidence must be so strong that the jury has no lingering doubts about the defendant's guilt. For example, if there were multiple eyewitnesses who saw the defendant shoot the victim, and forensic evidence that linked the defendant to the crime scene, the jury may be convinced to a moral certainty that the defendant is guilty.

Explanation: The example illustrates how the standard of moral certainty is applied in a criminal trial. The evidence presented must be so strong that it leaves no doubt in the minds of the jury that the defendant is guilty. This standard is higher than a mere possibility of doubt, and requires the jury to have an abiding conviction of the defendant's guilt.

Moot Point | Moral Law

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texaslawhopefully
22:30
@KnowledgeableRitzyWasp: That all sounds great. It sounds like it has fairly diverse cuisine for a smaller city
yeah there are so many good cuisines in ithaca
renard99
22:31
@lilypadfrog: that’s a pity I’da be liking them all
texaslawhopefully
22:31
Only food I’m going to miss for sure if I leave Texas is texmex
22:31
waspy hasnt had thai food in ithaca yet. ithaca thai is so good
^^^^ truuuuuu
22:32
there are two major thai places and they have very similar names bc a divorced husband and wife own them lol
22:32
personally i think taste of thai is better than taste of thai express but thats just me
i had pho tho and it was really good and huge portions
texaslawhopefully
22:32
Glad they have good Thai food, I love Thai food! Can’t wait to visit :)
22:33
when tex goes to ithaca i want to come
Dkk
22:34
Crying Tiger, best Thai dish.
damn im so hungry all i had today was a curry tonkatsu and buldak
and it was a lil baby noodle cup
vvv hungry
22:36
curry tonkatsu so yummeh
22:36
whats even open rn? pizza?
CTB is it i think
22:37
is collegetown pizza not open
22:37
i used to get a slice from there or wings over at like 1am after my shift at the restaurant
Dkk
22:48
Ross Ulbricht free. God Bless Trump. Huge win.
JeremyFragrance
22:54
agreed
texaslawhopefully
22:55
This is an interesting read: https://thedispatch.com/article/birthright-citizenship-trump-implications/
Dkk
23:01
I mean, idk how it's possible to end birth right citizenship without amending the constitution because to me the 14th amendment is pretty clear about it.
ross ulbricht tried to hire a hitman to kill 5 people
i am not that sympathetic to him
Dkk
23:04
@KnowledgeableRitzyWasp: That might have been an FBI agent. It was most likely him and he was most likely doing it to retrieve stolen funds that corrupt FBI agents stole, but yeah moral gray area but me personally, cool with hitmen. It's not like it is uncommon to hire hitmen. I don't think the action itself is necessarily wrong but the intent behind it can be.
Dkk
23:05
Like, Boeing whistblowers being killed by hitmen = wrong but a guy hiring hitmen to retrieve stolen funds = good to me.
texaslawhopefully
23:05
@Dkk: Yeah, for sure. My guess is it'll go to SCOTUS and it'll be 8-1 or 7-2, saying that EO was unconstitutional.
Dkk
23:06
Indeed. I need a count for how many exectuive orders he has signed and how many already have pending lawsuits.
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