Simple English definitions for legal terms
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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.
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.