informer’s privilege
- noun
- /ɪnˈfɔrmərz ˈprɪvɪlɪdʒ/
- Formal
:
privilegio del informante
- Because of informer’s privilege, the witness’s name was never disclosed in court.
Examples
-
The police asserted informer’s privilege to protect the source’s identity during the trial.
-
Lawyers debated whether informer’s privilege applied in this particular investigation.
-
The court upheld the informer’s privilege during the trial.
-
Many journalists rely on informers’ privileges to protect their sources.
-
The police asserted informer’s privilege to protect the identity of the confidential source during the trial.
-
Because of informer’s privilege, the identity of the informant remained undisclosed throughout the legal proceedings.
-
Lawyers argued that informer’s privilege was essential to ensure the safety of those who provide information to law enforcement.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
informer’s + privilege
The phrase is partly compositional: 'informer’s' (belonging to an informant) plus 'privilege' (a special right) signals a right connected to informants, so learners who know the constituents can infer a general sense of a special legal right. However, the specific legal force — that it is a government/procedural right to withhold a confidential informant's identity — is a specialized, language-legal concept not fully predictable at B1, so full understanding likely requires prior exposure.
Etymology
Informer’s privilege paints a simple image: an informer is someone who tells the police in secret and a privilege is a special right or shield. It is like a shield that lets the government 'refuse to give' the informant's name in court to keep that person safe, so the phrase means the right to protect a secret source's identity.