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Nap Time!!!

Thursday, March 08, 2007
Accuracy!

Luckily, due to misdating, this looks like it comes from today, and so I don't look late. Headline:
Guilty Plea Entered For LGBT Threats
First line:
The Clayton, Calif. man who was arrested in connection with a slew of threats against a Berkeley lesbian, gay, transexual and bisexual center pleaded no contest to the charges yesterday.
So, all you law-type folks: Is it accurate to describe a "no contest" plea as a "guilty plea"?

posted by Beetle Aurora Drake 3/08/2007 12:08:00 AM #
Comments (2)
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Comments:
Actually, no contest pleas are the same thing as guilty pleas, as far as the criminal system is concerned. (Most judges have a special extra little bit they add to their usual spiel when they get a nolo, explicitly letting the defendant know exactly that. Most Tahl forms also have this somewhere.)

I hear that there may be a difference in civil court. I'm not sure--I practice criminal law, and criminal law only. If there was a lawsuit, it might be different, though.
 
The technical meaning of "no contest" is that he is willing to accept the court's findings without contest. It is not the same as a guilty plea, but the defendant is usually found guilty.
 
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