Would you be willing to commit perjury in court for a close friend?

[NJmaverick]

What if your lie would save his life?

[LaurenG]

1. I don't know how to answer this

What are the circumstances? I'm not interested in taking on someone else's consequences or taking on karma that isn't mine but I would probably try to help them, maybe help get them a better atty...

[suninvited]

2. I had to testify at a federal trial

once, and some pretty damning questions were asked about a close friend. I did not perjure myself, but I worded my answers very carefully. It wasnt my friends trial, though, it was her ex wife's trial, and nobodys life was at stake.

If someones life is at stake, I assume you mean the death penalty, and I am sure I would not perjure myself at that kind of trial, either.

[rug]

3. It may or may not be perjury.

ROPER (Excited, almost gleeful) Do you know, sir? Have you heard? (MORE is still looking off, not answering. To MARGARET) Have you told him?

MARGARET (Gently) We've been looking for you, Father. (MORE is still looking off)

ROPER There's to be a new Act through Parliament, sir!

MORE (Half-turning, half-attending) Act?

ROPER Yes, sir-about the marriage!

MORE (Indifferently) Oh. (Turning back again. ROPER and MARGARET look at one another)

MARGARET (Puts a hand on his arm) Father, by this Act, they're going to administer an oath.

MORE (With instantaneous attention) An oath! (He looks from one to the other) On what compulsion?

ROPER It's expected to be treason!

MORE (Very still) What is the oath?

ROPER (Puzzled) It's about the marriage, sir.

MORE But what is the wording?

ROPER We don't need to know the (Contemptuously) wording-we know what it will mean!

MORE It will mean what the words say! An oath is made of words! It may be possible to take it. Or avoid it. (To MARGARET) Have we a copy of the Bill?

MARGARET There's one coming out from the City.

MORE Then let's get home and look at it. Oh, I've no boat. (He looks off again after NORFOLK)

http://www.cooper.edu/humanities/classes/coreclasses/hss2/library/man_for_all_seasons.html#act_two

Perjury is a very specific offense. The wording of the question and the wording of the answer is crucial.

[NJmaverick]

4. What play is that from?

[rug]

20. A Man for All Seasons

You can read the whole thing at the link. Or rent the Paul Scofield movie. Excellent play on conscience and law.

[LynzM]

31. Looks interesting.

Thanks for the info. :)

[Deep13]

5. No. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. yes

[NJmaverick]

7. In all cases, or would it be situational?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

8. situational but i can see myself do it, especially if their life was on the line

because of these things, no friend of mine woudl kill someone without a good reason. no friend of mine would rape someone. knowing this, i would do waht i can to save their lives. i have a strict criterion in this case though of whom i consider a friend.

[NJmaverick]

11. So your saying someone that committed a henious crime

that you didn't think they were capable of committing would no longer be considered a friend. Reasonable position and I think similar to my own. I would help out a friend in need, but I would not want to be friends with a person that did anything horrible.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. no, i know my friends and none of them woudl commit crimes of that nature.

i would assume someone is trying to frame them

[NJmaverick]

16. I have found over the years that people can surprise you

I can say that there have been people I considered friends and thought I knew reasonably well. Yet some of these people have surprised me as to what they have been capable of doing.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

17. no. i know my core group of friends for years. i would stand up for them against

institutions that are notoriously prejudiced toward gays and people of color.

i am not saying i would do it for all 500 "friends" i have on fb. just those i consider friends. the rest are acquaintances, work contacts etc

[triguy46]

29. So your opinion trumps the jury of peers?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

33. yes, nt

[triguy46]

28. Hm. Life is weird. Do you have superhuman friend assessment analysis tools?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

34. are you trying to be an idiot or were you born this way?

[UndertheOcean]

44. Perjury is immoral , BTW ... Friendship does not trump morality

Believing your friend is being framed should not prevent you from telling the truth.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

50. perjury isnt immoral. lying is immoral and i would like to know which of you

sanctimonious assholes have never lied to save your own asses. the fact that you wont do it for your friends is another story

[UndertheOcean]

52. ok , I remember I once lied to get a friend out of detention in high school , I will give you that .

But to extend that to a murder investigation , that is preposterous

[Gormy Cuss]

57. +1.

I'd like to think that I would never perjure myself but I can think of circumstances where I might fall back on the line "I don't recall" or leave out details to save my friend's hide. It would unusual for certain but I can't say that I absolutely would never do it.

[AngryAmish]

9. Yes.

Although it would depend on if his life was worth saving. If they killed someone I would not lie to get them out of it. If they were innocent, sure.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MineralMan]

12. No. Not a chance.

If someone I thought was a friend was capable of committing an act that might subject him or her to the death penalty, I would be questioning the friendship.

Put under oath in court, I will tell the truth. Period. If I would lie, it puts and end to the entire system of justice in this country, and in general.

[MicaelS]

15. Agree 100%

I'm not going to jail for anyone.

[Forkboy]

14. Yes, I admitted to a crime instead of fingering my friend.

Which I see as a mistake now, but at 18 it seemed the thing to do. I had no record and didn't think I'd get time for it (he would have for sure), so I bit the bullet thinking I'd just get probation. It's a funny ole world.

[datasuspect]

18. i'd more than likely commit a wide range of infractions for close friends and family

10 roger

[La Lioness Priyanka]

19. right there with you

[jmm]

21. I don't support the death penalty under any circumstances.

Since we're talking about a life on the line I can't picture myself even cooperating with the court system to convict somebody, friend or not. I would cooperate under most other circumstanes.

[Chan790]

22. Situationally no...

I had this issue come up for me. I didn't lie, I just told the truth in the most obtuse, useless way possible, included sundry meaningless details in excess and omitted details that might have been useful because I was not asked directly.

Also, I know absolutely for a fact that he didn't do what he was accused of...it was an obvious political act; not his politics.

[NJmaverick]

23. Sounds like you are the type of person one would want in their corner

:hi:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

38. never mind

[Inchworm]

24. Depending on why.. but chances are, without much thinking -yes-

If he intentionally hurt a defenseless creature, human or otherwise, a big fat resounding no.

:hi:

[Dystopian]

25. No.

Rule #1:
Only lie in bed.



peace~

[Kali]

26. I would hope not

I'm not good at it, first of all, but my experience has not shown it to be effective anyway.

If I believed someone was innocent and there was no other way to save their life AND I thought it would actually work, I would do it for anybody.

[triguy46]

27. Nope. Sorry. Honesty has meaning. Sorry the friend screwed up.

[suninvited]

30. A high school friend of mine was murdered

not too long after we graduated. When I watch the show "Cold Case Files" about her murder, it makes me so furious about this woman who lied for my friends murderer in south Texas, and that if she hadnt covered for him, my friend would still be alive.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

32. Do you know that he did it?

Do you know, without any doubt, that he committed the crime?

If that's the case, I'd have to testify honestly.

I have testified in a divorce proceeding, that I, as a friend of the couple, knew that their marriage was irretrievably broken. A very strange event, but it was in a Maryland court, and their laws are so different from what I'm used to.

The problem was that I wasn't sure their marriage was broken, but since the wife wanted to marry one of my best friends - I ended up being his Best Person in the wedding - when she asked me to be her witness, I couldn't say no.

Her stepson is now Vice-President Biden's press secretary.................

[noamnety]

35. That's such an odd post to me.

It seems like if one of the spouses wants to marry someone else, that's a good indicator that yes, the marriage is broken.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

42. It would seem that way, right?

Except I took the bride-to-be out to lunch after that divorce hearing, and we got good and drunk. She confided in me that she didn't want the divorce, didn't want to get married again, and had made a terrible mistake.

We ended up at my place, she called her intended and told him she wanted out, he showed up to collect her, and a couple of weeks later, the divorce was granted. A couple of months after that, their wedding took place.

Last I heard, she was very unhappy...........................

[davsand]

36. From what I've seen, a lot of times perjury just kind of slides past unremarked.

I've never deliberately lied on the stand, personally, but I have seen people do it, and I have been forced to deal with sworn depositions where somebody blatantly lied. None of them were ever prosecuted for it in spite of the fact that the attorneys involved all knew about the lies.

I talked to a State's Attorney about it in one particular case, and I was told that MOST of the time it is never prosecuted--in spite of the fact that it is a potential felony charge (at least in Illinois, anyway...)

YMMV.


Laura

[Mojambo]

37. No. n/t

[Mugu]

39. If they're a friend, you help them move.

If they're a close friend, you help them move a body.

[NightWatcher]

41. a friend would bail you out of jail

a best friend would be there next to you laughing about almost getting away with it.

[Iggo]

40. Not knowing exactly what I'd do if this actually came up...

...I can only say now that my inclination is to tell the truth or refuse to testify.

But, as someone said up-thread, people surprise you. And I am people.

[Burma Jones]

43. No...

The only thing I truly own is me.....

[Mojambo]

45. I'd like to think I have honorable enough friends that they wouldn't want me to. n/t

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

46. A close friend? No.

My best friend and I knew he was innocent and facing the death penalty? Maybe.

[Joey Liberal]

47. No.

I'm not doing time for ANYONE.

[Inchworm]

48. Ok, this thread has me worried about my humanity

Perjury means lying in court right?

The last 5 times I was in front of a judge were times (save one) when I was long term sober and remember the truth. The last three I got "scolded" by the big bad judge for telling the cop that was reporting the incident a liar. The two before that I let the lies go because it was only about a stupid fine.

I even wrote notes the day each crap event took place just so I wouldn't be swayed. All that is bullshit. They lie and the judge hears them. I'm sure the cops usually just want to make their bullshit stick however they can after I call them every cocksucker in the book, but perjury is perjury.

On to.. would I myself lie in court for a friend? I'd lie in court for anybody. Most of the court I get to see, or would see, is non-violent drug, drunken, behavior crap or defensive shit they did but the asshole with some coin is trying to ruin their lives so he can say "Got ya!"

I mean c'mon.. who the hell shouldn't be able to ever vote again or hunt because he/she had a few lines of meth in their possession? Why can a dickhead sue a dude for knocking his teeth out after the dickhead ran his mouth so much for it to happen or smacked his girlfriend around?

Fuck all them basterds. I'll hush.

*breathes*

Let me find out someone is hurting dogs, cats, critters, kids, or any other defensless thing... I'll damn sure call them on it. If he/she continues.. it's on. If they end up in court, and I get called in to witness... I'll tactfully lie my ass off to see him/her locked up. Court is about representation and representation is about money. Lies are even sticks.

:rant:

EDIT: forgot a word.

[WinkyDink]

49. No.

[Heidi]

51. No. I'm more useful to my loved ones OUT of prison than IN prison.

There are enough attorneys in my life that I believe I could--with their guidance--answer a prosecuting attorney's questions without perjuring myself or imperiling a loved one.

[Zavulon]

53. Hell, I'd commit perjury to get a good friend out of a traffic ticket. (NT)

[EndersDame]

54. Not if by saving my friends ass it would implicate another

Family is a different story though

[Unvanguard]

55. No, and not even then. Justice and truth trumps friendship.

And I would expect my own friends to treat me the same way.

[Haole Girl]

56. If it would save his life?

Ouch. I guess I cannot answer this question. And I hate not being able to answer a question. I'd have to be in that situation, I suppose.

[struggle4progress]

58. What a strange question! If I tell the truth, I will tell you I tell the truth. And if I lie,

I will tell you I tell the truth. Perhaps, then, I can only say I lie if I am insane: for if I want anyone to believe me, I cannot say I lie. On the other hand, if I only say I tell the truth, then general human experience might suggest to everyone that I am a liar, so if I admit I am sometimes a liar, perhaps that gives me more credibility by suggesting that I do not regard myself as invariably credible -- thus, if I wish to lie, perhaps I should tell you I sometimes lie, so that I will appear more credible to you. This is a poisonous tangle :shrug:

[mix]

59. yes

if i felt he or she were innocent

[madinmaryland]

60. Apparently Barry Bonds and his side kick from Balco are willing too.

:hide: