- malum in se
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mal·um in se /'ma-ləm-in-'sē, 'mä-lu̇m-in-'sā/ n pl mala in se /'ma-lə-, 'mä-/ [New Latin, offense in itself]: an offense that is evil or wrong from its own nature irrespective of statute— often used with a preceding noun (as crime or act )held that burglary was a crime malum in se — State v. Stiffler, 788 P.2d 2205 (1990) compare malum prohibitum
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- malum in se
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adj.(Latin) Bad in itself; describes an act that is inherently wrong in itself without regard to what the law says.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
- malum in se
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(mal-uhm in say) Latin for something "wrong in itself," even in the absence of a law making it illegal.In criminal law, it describes acts that have traditionally been considered crimes, whether or not a specific written law made them crimes, because they violate the principles of civilized society. Examples are murder, rape, and theft. By contrast, making a left turn at an intersection where a traffic law prohibits it would not be malum in se, because it is based only on statutory law. Compare: malum prohibitumCategory: Criminal LawCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- malum in se
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n. Latin An act, such as murder, that is inherently evil or immoral.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
- malum in se
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[mal-uhm in say]adv.Latin referring to an act that is "wrong in itself," in its very nature being illegal because it violates the natural, moral or public principles of a civilized society. In criminal law it is one of the collection of crimes which are traditional and not just created by statute, which are "malum prohibitum." Example: murder, rape, burglary and robbery are malum in se, while violations of the Securities and Exchange Act or most "white collar crimes" are malum prohibitum.See also: malum prohibitum
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
