Also known as: purposes · purposeful · purposefully · purposely
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An intended objective or goal that motivates a person's conduct or that justifies the application of a legal rule or exception.
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Piper Patel used a thin rod to reach through a broken pane and unlock the rear door of Paul Peterson's cabin. She inserted the rod solely to reach the latch and gain access. Because the rod was not employed to commit theft inside the dwelling, the entry element remained unsatisfied under the governing burglary rule.
The electors assembled in their state capitol to cast ballots for President. A member moved to verify that members from two-thirds of the states were present before any vote tally began. The presiding officer confirmed the quorum solely to authorize counting the votes under the constitutional directive.
The prosecutor sought to introduce evidence that Pilar Pena had previously used a distinctive alias when cashing forged checks. The court admitted the evidence only to establish that Pena was the person who passed the checks in the present case. The ruling rested on the permitted non-character purpose rather than any propensity inference.
Parker Phillips contacted the judge's chambers to reschedule a hearing after his key witness became unavailable. The communication addressed only the new date and time and contained no discussion of the merits. The judge permitted the contact because it served an administrative purpose without touching substantive issues.
Portia Price deposited two hundred dollars of her own money into the client trust account. She made the deposit solely to cover anticipated bank service charges for the coming month. The amount matched the bank's published fee schedule and did not exceed what was necessary for that limited objective.
Paige Porter drove the company van to deliver parts to a customer at her supervisor's direction. While completing the delivery she also stopped to mail a personal letter. The stop did not change the fact that her trip remained actuated at least in part by a purpose to serve the employer.
Purpose requires that the actor's conscious object be to engage in the prohibited conduct or cause the prohibited result. Intent is often treated as satisfied by knowledge alone when the element concerns a fact rather than conduct or result. Courts therefore distinguish purpose as the stricter mental state focused on the actor's objective.
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The evidence must be offered for a purpose such as proving motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, absence of mistake, or lack of accident. The proponent must articulate the specific non-character purpose and the court must determine that the probative value is not substantially outweighed by unfair prejudice.
…of appeal) (citations omitted). In the words of Mr. Justice Frankfurter, "Great concepts like . . . liberty' . . . were purposely left to gather meaning from experience. For they relate to the whole domain of social and economic fact, and the statesmen who founded this Nation knew too well that only a stagnant society…
…at least, has been limited to the constitutional need that created it; obviously not every "association" is for First Amendment purposes
…in my view, that procedural strictures not be constitutionally imposed that jeopardize "the essential elements of the State's purpose" in creating juvenile courts, id., at 72 . In this regard, I think it worth emphasizing that the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a juvenile committed a criminal act…
…is guilty of any such impropriety. [^maj-12]: The Court quoted a statement of a member of the advisory committee that the purpose
…a purchase or sale of securities within the meaning of the statute and the rule. The courts reasoned that the scheme’s sole purpose was to buy and sell securities at a profit based on advance information of the column’s contents. The courts below rejected petitioners’ submission, which is one of the two questions…
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A lawyer may deposit personal funds only in an amount necessary to pay bank service charges on that account. The deposit must serve the sole purpose of covering those charges and must not exceed the amount reasonably required for that objective.
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Insertion of a tool constitutes entry only when the defendant uses the tool for the purpose of committing the intended felony inside the dwelling. Use of the tool solely to gain access does not satisfy the entry element.
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Conduct falls within the scope of employment when it is actuated, at least in part, by a purpose to serve the master. The presence of mixed personal motives does not remove the conduct from the scope so long as the servant's purpose includes serving the employer.
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