stand-your-ground law
No-retreat defense doctrine
A stand-your-ground law permits using force, including deadly force, in self-defense without any duty to retreat first.
Traditional self-defense doctrine required attempting to escape before resorting to violence; stand-your-ground laws remove that obligation when someone faces a perceived threat.
These laws exist in many U.S. states and have been controversial in cases where the perceived threat was disputed: The shooter invoked the stand-your-ground law after killing an unarmed teenager.
Violence that kills
- deadly forceViolence intended to kill
- reasonable beliefOpinion with adequate grounds
- imminent threatDanger about to occur
- castle doctrineRight to defend home forcefully
fear for life · justifiable homicide · defensive force · bodily harm · proportional response · aggressor · assailant · confrontation
Pursuing legal charges
- defense attorneyLawyer representing the accused
- pretrial hearingCourt session before formal proceedings
- jury instructionLegal guidance for deliberators
- burden of proofDuty to prove allegations
acquittal · conviction · trial · evidence · testimony · defendant · verdict · appeal
Prejudice based on ethnicity
- racial disparityUnequal treatment across ethnicities
- vigilantismExtralegal enforcement by civilians
- criticismJudgment of faults
- reform movementOrganized push for systemic change
protest · media coverage · public debate · polarizing · statistics · study · disproportionate · civil rights
Enacted written rule
- billAmount owed, written
- enactmentPassing into law
- codificationOrganizing rules into system
- amendmentChange to official text
provision · clause · state law · criminal code · legal defense · affirmative defense · expansion · repeal
Southeastern American peninsula state
- TexasSecond-largest American state
- southern statesLower regional territories
- expansionIncrease in scope
- variationChange from a norm
lethal force
Violence that kills
- deadly forceViolence intended to kill
- reasonable beliefOpinion with adequate grounds
- imminent threatDanger about to occur
fear for life · castle doctrine · justifiable homicide · defensive force · bodily harm · proportional response · aggressor · assailant · confrontation · armed response
prosecution
Pursuing legal charges
- defense attorneyLawyer representing the accused
- pretrial hearingCourt session before formal proceedings
- jury instructionLegal guidance for deliberators
burden of proof · acquittal · conviction · trial · evidence · testimony · defendant · verdict · appeal · case law
racial bias
Prejudice based on ethnicity
- racial disparityUnequal treatment across ethnicities
- vigilantismExtralegal enforcement by civilians
- criticismJudgment of faults
reform movement · protest · media coverage · public debate · polarizing · statistics · study · disproportionate · civil rights · advocacy
statute
Enacted written rule
- billAmount owed, written
- enactmentPassing into law
- codificationOrganizing rules into system
amendment · provision · clause · state law · criminal code · legal defense · affirmative defense · expansion · repeal · reform
Florida
Southeastern American peninsula state
- TexasSecond-largest American state
- southern statesLower regional territories
- expansionIncrease in scope