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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The result is a lot of false positives that can, and have, led to the miscarriage of justice. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024 Depending on which view one has of the case, the verdict likely will be seen as a commitment to the rule of law or a miscarriage of justice. Barbara McQuade, TIME, 29 May 2024 Lyle and Erik became staple fixtures on true crime TikTok accounts, with the majority calling their imprisonment a miscarriage of justice. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024 Now Letby's only hope is the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which can look anew at potential miscarriages of justice. The Week Uk, theweek, 28 July 2024 Similarly flawed reasoning was used to convict Lucia de Berk, a nurse, in the Netherlands, in what is now seen as one of the country's worst-ever miscarriages of justice. The Week Uk, theweek, 28 July 2024 This number rises to 69% for those aged 12 to 15, underscoring the importance of accessible legal counsel to prevent these miscarriages of justice. Kerry Kennedy, New York Daily News, 24 July 2024 One top entertainment producer, who has worked with the BBC for decades, compares the broadcaster’s handling of misconduct concerns to the Post Office scandal, a miscarriage of justice that went unnoticed for years. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 20 July 2024 The league might contend $4.7 billion dollars is unsupported by the facts and that Gutierrez would be making a miscarriage of justice by keeping that amount in place. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 July 2024

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 22 Dec. 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!