Lynch Law (Noun)
Meaning
The practice of punishing people by hanging without due process of law.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The town was governed by lynch law, with outlaws being strung up from the nearest tree without even the semblance of a trial.
- Some justify the use of lynch law in times of social unrest, when the official justice system is too slow to deliver punishment.
- During the height of the frontier era, lynch law was a regular occurrence in many rural towns, with mob rule and vigilantism being the norm.
- The infamous case of a wrongly executed man highlighted the dangers of lynch law, where emotions and hearsay replaced evidence and due process.
- In the post-Civil War era, lynch law targeted primarily African Americans, perpetuating racial violence and denying them equal protection under the law.