M'Naghten rule

M'Naghten rule
a definition of criminal responsibility formulated in 1843 by English judges questioned by the House of Lords as a result of the acquittal of Daniel M'Naghten on grounds of insanity. It holds that “to establish a defense on the ground of insanity, it must be clearly proved that, at the time of committing the act, the party accused was laboring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing, or, if he did know it, he did not know he was doing what was wrong” and further that a defendant who “labors under partial delusions only and is not in other respects insane … must be considered in the same situation as to responsibility as if the facts with respect to which the delusion exists were real.” These rules are still used in many American jurisdictions.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • M'Naghten rule — A test applied to determine whether a person accused of a crime was sane at the time of its commission and, therefore, criminally responsible for the wrongdoing. Dictionary from West s Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. M Naghten rule …   Law dictionary

  • M'Naghten Rule — The test applied in a number of the states for the defense of insanity. This test, as prescribed by statute or case law, has a number of variations in the respective states applying such. Under M Naghten test or rule, an accused is not criminally …   Black's law dictionary

  • M'Naghten Rule — The test applied in a number of the states for the defense of insanity. This test, as prescribed by statute or case law, has a number of variations in the respective states applying such. Under M Naghten test or rule, an accused is not criminally …   Black's law dictionary

  • M'Naghten rule — noun A test of criminal insanity. ...it must be clearly proved that, at the time of committing the act, the party accused was labouring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to know the nature and quality of the act he… …   Wiktionary

  • rule — A criterion, standard, or guide governing a procedure, arrangement, action, etc. SEE ALSO: law, principle, theorem. [O. Fr. reule, fr. L. regula, a guide, pattern] Abegg r. the tendency of the sum of the …   Medical dictionary

  • M'Naghten test — M Naght·en test /mək nät ən / n [after Daniel M Naghten, defendant in 1843 murder case heard before the British House of Lords who was acquitted due to his insanity]: a standard under which a criminal defendant is considered to have been insane… …   Law dictionary

  • Mc|Naugh|ten Rule — «muhk N tuhn», = M Naghten Rule. (Cf. ↑M Naghten Rule) …   Useful english dictionary

  • McNaghten Rule — See M Naghten Rule …   Black's law dictionary

  • McNaghten Rule — See M Naghten Rule …   Black's law dictionary

  • M'Naghten Rules — The M Naghten Rules (pronounced, and sometimes spelled, McNaughton) were a reaction to the acquittal of Daniel McNaughton. They arise from the attempted assassination of the British Prime Minister, Robert Peel, in 1843 by Daniel M Naghten. In… …   Wikipedia

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