Justification is a type of defense that exempts the defendant from liability because the defendant's actions were justified, or not wrong. In other words, a defendant with a valid justification will not suffer the usual penalty for their actions because in the eyes of the court,the defendant could not have been asked to act any differently in this situation. For example, if a defendant is charged with assault, the defendant may use a justification defense of self-defense to claim the actions were reasonable and not wrong given the circ*mstances.
See also:Excuse
[Last updated in June of 2023 by the Wex Definitions Team]
See Also
Justification and Excuse