not guilty/exonerated

[jimmyjam]

Can someone tell me what the difference is between being found not guilty and being exonerated.

[Kane]

"Not guilty" is a legal term, "exonerated" is not.

A criminal case can be resolved in several ways, including a judgment of "not guilty."

There is no judgment of "exoneration," although you're free to use the term if you want. The English definition can be found in any dictionary.

[seniorjudge]

Originally Posted by jimmyjam

Can someone tell me what the difference is between being found not guilty and being exonerated.

Being found not guilty is NOT the same as being found innocent.

There is no "innocent plea" in any court in the United States (I don't care what you hear in the media).

Definitions of exonerate on the Web:

* Removal of a charge, responsibility or duty. Expert: A witness who may give an opinion in court based on the particular competence of that witness.
[url]www.munley.com/legal_glossary_e.html[/url]

* acquit: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges; "The suspect was cleared of the murder charges"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn