this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
236 points (98.8% liked)

United States | News & Politics

7249 readers
303 users here now

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Delaware has officially banned the so-called “gay and trans panic” defense, becoming the 17th state in the nation to do so.

The panic defense is a legal defense strategy used to justify violent crimes against LGBTQ+ people due to a perpetrator “panicking” over discovering their victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to the Movement Advancement Project, no state allows the defense to be used on its own, but it is often used alongside other defense strategies as a way to advocate for leniency.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

That's basically how the legal system works. If something is not enshrined in legislation it's free real estate for the judiciary to set precedent.