jailhouse lawyer
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of jailhouse lawyer
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30;
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sentenced to 26 years to life in prison, Martinez spent the next three decades filing writs, appeals and petitions as a self-taught jailhouse lawyer.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2024
With a new attitude, he began visiting the prison law library, where he met Michael “Minkah” Norwood, Lewisburg’s legendary jailhouse lawyer.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2023
At the same time, he is haunted by the pleas of those he left behind, some of whom see this former jailhouse lawyer as their best hope.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 8, 2020
While serving a 12-year sentence for bank robbery, he became a jailhouse lawyer and managed to get two cases in front of the United States Supreme Court.
From New York Times ● Oct. 16, 2018
His first big victory as a jailhouse lawyer came on behalf of Julio Acevedo, in 1997.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 13, 2016
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
