# Nolo Contendere

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nolo-contendere/288192>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 3, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nolo-contendere/288192 "2005-02-03T16:56:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nolo-contendere/288192/21 "2005-02-04T16:48:37Z")

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Heck yeah it could be bribery. It’s not even a “technical” violation. You’re paying money to influence a public official’s decision. So what if you’re not paying it directly to the judge? You’re paying it at his order, same as if you bought him a yacht.

–Cliffy

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**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nolo-contendere/288192/22 "2005-02-04T16:53:46Z")

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Just to underscore Otto’s point, pay close attention here:

(2) A public official…directly or\*\* indirectly\*\* solicits, **receives** , accepts, or agrees to receive \*\*a thing of value \*\ ***by inducing the reasonable belief that the giving of the thing will influence his or her performance or failure to perform any official action.**

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**Author:** ![Thinktank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Thinktank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinktank)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nolo-contendere/288192/23 "2005-02-04T21:32:39Z")

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Look it’s all well and good here, but I never considered bribing the judge in any way shape or form… I d-o happen to see it as bribery and I would never ask a chamber person to tell me the judge’s favorite charity in the first place… so that’s a “no-go” on that one…

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**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nolo-contendere/288192/24 "2005-02-04T22:00:12Z")

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Ask legal counsel. “No contest” may be an unrefusable plea.

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