to nolle prosequi
1
9.9
- verb
- /ˈnɑːleɪ prəˈsiːkwaɪ/
- Formal
:
nolle prosequi
- In a criminal case, the prosecutor generally had the authority to decline to prosecute any case further and to get a nolle prosequi entered, before or after a grand jury indicted the defendant.
Examples
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At a brief hearing in Prince William Circuit Court, prosecutors declared the charge nolle prosequi, which means they don't wish to prosecute at this time.
Blog text (1) -
Perhaps relieved that the district attorney had issued a nolle prosequi in all cases except the test case of Hudson and Goodwin, Dana replied to Randolph that he did not think that Jefferson had personally initiated the indictments.
Academic text (2016) -
It didn't bar a later suit against the same person for the same claim that was included in the nolle prosequi.
Blog text (32) -
So the entry of a nolle prosequi usually meant the case wasn't all that good to begin with, or it was old and witnesses were gone, or nobody cared much about the crime anymore anyway, or some combination.
Blog text (32) -
In all states, the nolle prosequi didn't have the same legal effect as an acquittal -- a defendant could be reindicted for the same charge.
Blog text (32) -
See Baker v. State, 4 Ark. 56, 60 (1842) ("In this State the attorney is prohibited from entering a nolle prosequi on any indictment, or in any way to discontinue or abandon the same, 'without the leave of the court' ").
Blog text (32) -
At a recent court session, the prosecutor entered a nolle prosequi, signaling an end to the charges against the defendant.
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During the hearing, the judge acknowledged the prosecutor's decision to file a nolle prosequi, indicating that they would not pursue the case any further.
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The filing of a nolle prosequi means the prosecutor has chosen to abandon the prosecution of the criminal charges for now.
Synonyms
To stop charging someone with a crime
To stop a criminal case and drop the charges
To end a criminal charge by a prosecutor so it is not tried in court
Surface Forms
Morphology
nolle + prosequi
This is a fixed Latin legal formula whose meaning ('prosecution will not continue') depends on legal convention rather than transparent composition in modern English. The constituents are Latin/obscure and not productive for B1 learners, so even knowing one element would not reliably let a typical learner derive the exact legal sense.
Etymology
Nolle prosequi is a Latin phrase made of nolle ('not want') and prosequi ('to pursue'), so picture a prosecutor saying 'I don't want to chase this case' and stopping. That's why, as a verb, it means 'to formally stop or drop a prosecution'.