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miscarriage of justice
noun
: an outcome in a judicial proceeding that is unjust
especially
: an error made in a court of law that results in an innocent person being punished or a guilty person being free
His conviction was a miscarriage of justice.
Examples of miscarriage of justice in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But as evidence of the miscarriage of justice gradually came to light — including the identity of the actual traitor, a dissolute nobleman named Ferdinand Walsin-Esterhazy — more people joined Dreyfus’ cause.
—Maurice Samuels / Made By History, TIME, 21 May 2024
In an era of high-tech forensics, the persistence of such brazen miscarriages of justice is more than unsettling.
—David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023
But Manor insisted there had been a miscarriage of justice.
—Natalie Morales, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2024
One of Britain’s biggest miscarriages of justice, the wrongful conviction of hundreds of Post Office workers due to faulty software, has exploded into the public domain following a TV drama, sparking demands for justice.
—Sachin Ravikumar, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Jan. 2024
The shocking details of one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history have been reported for years yet somehow stayed below the radar for most of the public, despite intense efforts by campaigners and investigative journalists.
—Stephen Castle, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2024
Recommended Amid mounting pressure from the media and lawmakers, the Post Office began to investigate the issue, but in 2015, its boss Ms. Paula Vennells told a parliamentary committee that there had been no evidence of any miscarriage of justice.
—Sachin Ravikumar, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Jan. 2024
Alarmingly for scientists, misleading forensic and expert evidence is too often a deciding factor in such miscarriages of justice; of the 233 exonerations in 2022 alone recorded by the National Registry of Exonerations, deceptive forensic evidence and expert testimony was a factor in 44 of them.
—David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023
Clemency is rare in capital cases Glossip, joined by Attorney General Drummond, sought clemency in the hope of preventing a miscarriage of justice like the one Bush cited as a reason to save Lewis’ life.
—Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 2 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miscarriage of justice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1800, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of miscarriage of justice was
in 1800
Dictionary Entries Near miscarriage of justice
Cite this Entry
“Miscarriage of justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miscarriage%20of%20justice. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Legal Definition
miscarriage of justice
mis·car·riage of justice
ˌmis-ˈkar-ij-, ˈmis-ˌkar-
: an error at trial that probably led to a less favorable outcome for the appealing party
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