M'Naghten test

[ muhk-nawt-n ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a rule that defines a person as legally insane when that person cannot distinguish right from wrong.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of M'Naghten test¹

After Daniel M'Naghten (died 1865), defendant in a murder case adjudicated in England in 1843

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The M’Naghten test was used in most U.S. courts well into the 20th century, before the American Law Institute, a think tank, proposed a more liberal rule.

From

New York federal judges then used the old M'Naghten test that a man is legally in sane only if he "did not know right from wrong", or did not understand the nature of his acts at the time of his crime.

From Time Magazine Archive

A supplement to the M'Naghten test added "irresistible impulse" but neither test seemed to fit Sheller.

From Time Magazine Archive

M.N.A.M.N.A.S.

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