# Why aren't perjury charges more frequent?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-perjury-charges-more-frequent/287503>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 31, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-perjury-charges-more-frequent/287503 "2005-01-31T01:16:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-perjury-charges-more-frequent/287503/1 "2005-01-31T01:16:16Z")

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At the end of many court cases, it is abundantly obvious that one of the parties lied to the court. Not all cases of course, but many. Thus, I don’t understand why more court verdicts aren’t accompanied by a perjury charge.

We should be hearing more about situations where the judge said something like: "You swore under oath that you were doing some planting last Thursday at 3PM. But your wife says you were not in the garden, the ballistics on the bullet match your pistol, and 11 eyewitnesses say they saw you shoot the deputy at that time. Thus, you are guilty of shooting the deputy and also lying about it.

This question occurred to me while indulging an embarassing taste for sleaze by reading the affadavits against Micheal Jackson on [www.thesmokinggun.com](http://www.thesmokinggun.com). Since I know precisely jack squat about law, I thought I’d ask it here.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-perjury-charges-more-frequent/287503/2 "2005-01-31T01:21:35Z")

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Because there are just too many to deal with. :smack:

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**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-perjury-charges-more-frequent/287503/3 "2005-01-31T02:03:18Z")

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> [@NattoGuy](#):
>
> At the end of many court cases, it is abundantly obvious that one of the parties lied to the court. Not all cases of course, but many. Thus, I don’t understand why more court verdicts aren’t accompanied by a perjury charge.

It is hard to prove perury. Prosecutors have to prove that the defendant lied intentionally. In some cases they also have to prove that the lie was material.

E.g.,  
[Michigan statute](http://www.michiganlegislature.org/mileg.asp?page=getObject&objName=mcl-750-423)

[http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/foia\_reading\_room/usam/title9/crm01748.htm](http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm01748.htm) Federal resource on materiality requirment.

[http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/foia\_reading\_room/usam/title9/crm01700.htm](http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm01700.htm) Items 1741-1767 deal with Perjury.