obstruction of justice
99
8.6
- noun
- /əbˈstrʌkʃən əv ˈdʒʌstɪs/
- Formal
:
obstrucción a la justicia
- The court found that tampering with evidence amounted to obstruction of justice during the trial.
- obstruction of justice charges
- perjury and obstruction of justice
- guilty of obstruction of justice
It is likely premeditated obstruction of justice with a paper trail, and special counsel Robert Mueller has a copy.
- It is likely premeditated obstruction of justice with a paper trail, and special counsel Robert Mueller has a copy.
Examples
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Otherwise, you'll be charged with obstruction of justice.
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Now you know that lying to the police during a murder investigation is obstruction of justice.
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But there has been, in effect, an obstruction of justice.
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The only problem with that, sir, is that it gets us into obstruction of justice.
Fiction book (1995) -
I suggest you cooperate unless you want to become familiar with the term obstruction of justice.
Fiction book (2001) -
Any refusal by Sestak to explain who made the offer and when would be obstruction of justice.
Blog text (12) -
She was sentenced to five months of prison time for obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
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Libby was charged with obstruction of justice as well as perjury.
Blog text (11) -
Clinton was impeached in December 1998 for perjury and obstruction of justice.
Blog text (17) -
Pres. Clinton was impeached for perjury, obstruction of justice, and abusing the powers of his office.
Blog text (5)
Synonyms
222
4.8
Something that stops or slows progress and makes a task hard
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
obstruction + of + justice
The phrase is compositionally built from 'obstruction' (a blocking or hindering) + 'justice' (the legal system), so a learner who knows both words can infer it means blocking or impeding legal processes. However, the expression is a legal label for a specific criminal act (deliberate interference with investigations, jurors, or officers), a register-specific nuance and degree of intentionality that is not fully predictable from the constituents alone.
Etymology
The phrase obstruction of justice shows a simple image: obstruction is something that blocks the way and justice means the courts and the law. Imagine someone putting a heavy rock in front of a cart carrying evidence so the cart cannot reach court 'on purpose'. So, obstruction of justice means stopping or hiding evidence, lying to investigators, or scaring witnesses to block the work of the law.