extrajudicial

[ek-struh-joo-dish-uhl]

adjective

1. outside of judicial proceedings; beyond the action or authority of a court.

2. beyond, outside, or against the usual procedure of justice; legally unwarranted.

   an extrajudicial penalty.

extrajudicial

/ ˌɛkstrədʒuːˈdɪʃəl /

adjective

1. outside the ordinary course of legal proceedings

   extrajudicial evidence

2. beyond the jurisdiction or authority of the court

   an extrajudicial opinion

Other Word Forms

• extrajudicially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of extrajudicial¹

First recorded in 1620–30; extra- + judicial

Example Sentences

Democratic lawmakers in Washington have demanded answers from the White House over the legality of the strikes, which United Nations experts have described as extrajudicial executions.

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The pictures show the mob ruthlessness of lynching — the extrajudicial murder of human beings, usually by hanging from a tree.

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Setting the scene, the motion quotes a US Department of State report which said Gaddafi's regime had controlled Libya through extrajudicial killings and intimidation, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention.

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In recent years, civic groups have accused police of dozens of extrajudicial killings and torture.

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Prof Moffett said that the use of force in this case could amount to an "extrajudicial arbitrary killing" and "a fundamental violation of human rights".

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