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Durham rule
noun
: a formerly used legal test under which a person was not judged responsible for a criminal act that was attributed to a mental disorder
Word History
Etymology
Monte Durham, 20th century American litigant
First Known Use
1955, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near Durham rule
Cite this Entry
“Durham rule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Durham%20rule. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Legal Definition
Durham rule
noun
Dur·ham rule
ˈdu̇r-əm-, ˈdər-
: a rule of criminal law used in some states that holds that in order to find a defendant not guilty by reason of insanity the defendant's criminal act must be the product of a mental disease or defect compare irresistible impulse test, m'naghten test, substantial capacity test
Etymology
from Durham v. United States, 214 F.2d 862 (1954), a case heard by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals that established the rule
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