Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An amendment to the US Constitution that provides for due process of law where the government is seeking to deprive a person of life, liberty, or property; provides for Grand Jury proceedings for certain serious offenses; prohibits the government from trying a person again after that person has been acquitted; prohibits the government from forcing a defendant to testify against himself or herself; and prohibits government confiscation of private property for public use without just compensation to the property owner.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The fifth amendment to the US
constitution .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an amendment to the Constitution of the United States that imposes restrictions on the government's prosecution of persons accused of crimes; mandates due process of law and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy; requires just compensation if private property is taken for public use
Etymologies
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Examples
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The agent later contradicted his testimony before invoking his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent to avoid incriminating himself.
Cases Highlight Risks With Informants Justin Scheck 2010
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Bernard Ebbers, the former chief executive of WorldCom, as expected, invoking his Fifth Amendment right.
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We are told by members of this committee that Braswell and the editor of one of his publications are expected to take the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer any questions, citing that right against self-incrimination.
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The gift tax provisions of the Revenue Act of 1924, _held_ invalid under the Fifth Amendment as applied to _bona fide_ gifts made before passage of the act.
The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 30, 1952 Edward Samuel Corwin 1920
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It was a criminal case, or should have been, but the accused took a financial Fifth Amendment - the right to remain silent, since any statement made could be used as evidence against them - and got away with it.
Signs of the Times 2009
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It was a criminal case, or should have been, but the accused took a financial Fifth Amendment - the right to remain silent, since any statement made could be used as evidence against them - and got away with it.
Infowars 2009
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The question before the Supreme Court will be if "a break in custody or a substantial lapse in time" after a suspect asks for his Fifth Amendment right to counsel affects whether authorities can question the suspect.
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A federal court eventually quashed a grand jury subpoena served to Boucher last November, citing his Fifth Amendment right to protect himself from self-incrimination.
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"I mean you want to beat a dead horse, we'll be here forever," said Kilpatrick attorney James C. Thomas, after suggesting he raise his hand each time Kilpatrick wanted to exercise his rights against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment and raise one hand plus one finger when Kilpatrick wanted to plead the Sixth, which relates to a criminal defendant's right to a lawyer and attorney-client privilege.
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"I mean you want to beat a dead horse, we'll be here forever," said Kilpatrick attorney James C. Thomas, after suggesting he raise his hand each time Kilpatrick wanted to exercise his rights against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment and raise one hand plus one finger when Kilpatrick wanted to plead the Sixth, which relates to a criminal defendant's right to a lawyer and attorney-client privilege.
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