What does exigent mean in law?
Asked by: Napoleon Kuphal IV | Last update: February 5, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (16 votes)
Exigent means needing immediate action and the exigent circumstances means an urgent situation that requires prompt action by law enforcement. The most common exigent circumstances are to prevent bodily harm of a person, to prevent the destruction of evidence, and to stop a suspect from escaping.
What does exigent mean in legal terms?
Exigent circumstances refer to urgent situations that require immediate action, allowing law enforcement to bypass standard procedures. These circumstances arise when a reasonable person would believe that prompt action is necessary to prevent physical harm or to preserve evidence.
What does exigent mean?
1. : requiring immediate aid or action. exigent circumstances. 2. : requiring or calling for much : demanding.
What is the difference between urgent and exigent?
Exigent: something that requires attention, not to be needlessly delayed. Urgent: to be performed as soon as possible. Of great priority. This is a bit more serious than exigent.
What are exigent circumstances in law?
In the criminal procedure context, exigent circumstance means the following: An emergency situation requiring swift action to prevent imminent danger to life or serious damage to property, or to forestall the imminent escape of a suspect, or destruction of evidence.
Exigent Circumstances - Every Officer Must Know This
What is an example of exigent?
The most common exigent circumstances are to prevent bodily harm of a person, to prevent the destruction of evidence, and to stop a suspect from escaping. Examples of exigent circumstances include: A student's locker smells heavily of marijuana. To search for evidence on a person walking in the park.
What are the 4 types of probable cause?
There are four categories into which evidence may fall in establishing probable cause. These include observational, circumstantial, expertise, and information: Observational evidence is based on what the officer sees, smells, or hears.
What are some examples of exigency in action?
The police might enter a home without a warrant due to the exigency of the situation. The exigency of funding issues led the nonprofit organization to seek immediate donations. The power outage caused an exigency at the hospital that required immediate action to ensure patient safety.
What is a synonym for exigency?
Some common synonyms of exigency are contingency, crisis, emergency, juncture, pinch, straits, and strait.
What might qualify as exigent circumstances for purposes of seizing an item?
Exigent circumstances exist in situations where a situation where people are in imminent danger, where evidence faces imminent destruction, or prior to a suspect's imminent escape. On the other hand, warrantless search and seizure of properties are not illegal, if the objects being searched are in plain view.
What's a word for something you can't ignore?
When you describe something as exigent, you are saying it requires attention: it can't be ignored. Exigent, which means "demanding attention," comes from the Latin for "driving out." If there's a runaway train driving straight at you, that's an exigent situation — not a good time to stop and write a poem.
What does exigent really mean?
requiring immediate action or aid; urgent; pressing. requiring a great deal, or more than is reasonable.
How to respond to an exigent request?
If the officer declares that exigent circumstances exist and demands immediate access to the school, comply with his/her orders and immediately alert the local educational agency administrator.
How do you use exigent in a sentence?
Examples of 'exigent' in a sentence
- But exigent circumstances aren't always clear. (2023)
- He didn't debate; he collected briskly the Captain's salute, and strode off to attend to his exigent duties. Harvey, John. ...
- He rushed up here and searched the house without a warrant because he had established exigent circumstances.
Which two factors are required to determine whether a circumstance would be considered exigent?
As a refresher, exigent circumstances exist in general terms when “there is a compelling need for official action and no time to secure a warrant.”i Typically, exigent circumstances exist if, absent immediate official action, “the accused would be able to destroy evidence, flee or otherwise avoid capture, or might, ...
What does exigency mean in law?
A serious, unexpected situation requiring immediate action. Exigency is often more specific to situations with imminent risk of compounded harm. Urgency. The quality of requiring immediate action. Exigency implies a legal context with potential legal consequences.
What is the opposite of felicitous?
Since the 1530s, infelicitous has been used to mean the opposite of felicitous, meaning "happy," which comes from the Latin word for "happiness," felicitas. Definitions of infelicitous. adjective. not appropriate in application; defective. “an infelicitous remark”
What is the opposite of exigency?
Comparing the meanings, “Exigency” signifies a pressing need or urgent situation. The word that best represents the opposite of this urgency and need is “Indifference”, which denotes a lack of concern or urgency.
What are the three types of exigent circumstances?
Miller: Now you described three exigent circumstances that might allow a police officer to enter someone's house or other REP area - hot pursuit, destruction of evidence and emergencies.
What is a motion of exigency?
Motions of exigency means a motion pertaining to an urgent, pressing matter; “Municipality” means the Municipality established in terms of section 155(6) of the Constitution, 1996, and established by and under sections 11 and 12 of the Structures Act.
What is the simple meaning of exigency?
Exigency derives from the Latin noun exigentia, which means "urgency" and comes from the verb exigere, meaning "to demand or require." An emergency situation, or exigency, is urgent and demands immediate action.
What is rule 42 of the Rules of Court?
A Petition for Review under Rule 42 of the Rules of Court is the mode of appeal taken to the Court of Appeals (CA) from a decision or final order of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) rendered in its appellate jurisdiction.
What does PC mean in police?
Join us as a police constable (PC) and make a real difference in Kent! The most important part of your job will be to protect life, but you'll also build strong relationships with local communities, prevent and detect crime, support victims and witnesses and keep people safe.