{"id":7461,"date":"2022-08-15T22:14:47","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T22:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=7461"},"modified":"2022-08-15T22:14:47","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T22:14:47","slug":"pro-se-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/pro-se-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Se \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you a law student accused of a crime? You could waive your right to legal representation and handle your case \u2018<em>Pro Se<\/em>.\u2019 This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression <em>\u2018Pro Se\u2019<\/em> is a legal term. The word originates from the Latin term \u2018<em>Pro Se<\/em>,\u2019 meaning \u2018<em>on behalf of oneself\u2019 <\/em>or<em> \u2018for oneself<\/em>.\u2019 The term means you request the right to handle your defense yourself in a court of law.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The term can apply to civil and criminal cases, but it's more common in criminal court. Small claims court doesn\u2019t require the plaintiff or defendant to have a lawyer present, so you could say this is <em>\u2018Pro Se\u2019<\/em> representation.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe judge asked me if I want to waive my right to legal counsel and stand trial Pro Se. I have no idea what that means.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t afford a lawyer, and the public defender is a kid out of college. I think I can better represent myself in court, Pro Se.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am warning you, don\u2019t take on your legal defense yourself. It might seem like a good idea to go Pro Se, but you\u2019ll regret it, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m handling my case myself, Pro Se. I don\u2019t trust the public defender and think I\u2019ll take my chances without legal representation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7462\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Pro-se.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"186\" height=\"159\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7463\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pro-se2-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pro-se2-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pro-se2.jpg 551w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression 'Pro Se' is legalese originating from the late 1700s. In the case 'Faretta v. California,' the Supreme Court of the United States ruled:<\/p>\n<p>Section 35 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, 92, enacted by the First Congress and signed by President Washington, states the following.<\/p>\n<p>\"In all the courts of the United States, the parties may plead and manage their own causes personally or by the assistance of counsel.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"In the federal courts, the right of self-representation has been protected by statute since the beginnings of our Nation.\"<\/p>\n<p>The Court's opinion is that criminal defendants have the right to refuse counsel, choosing to represent themselves after waiving their right to representation. It's important to note that 'Pro Se' representation is not an absolute right.<\/p>\n<p>The Court has the authority to determine if an individual is capable of representing themselves. The Court may examine the individual's mental capacity and lucidity when making that decision.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pro Se vs. Per Se: What&#039;s the Difference?\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aLT9ZSQANs8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Pro Se<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Waive your rights to legal counsel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Pro Se<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Lawyer up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Pro se.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Pro Se Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase \u2018Pro Se\u2019 doesn\u2019t have any meaning outside the legal industry. Using it to describe voiding legal representation in civil matters, interrogations, or interviews with the police is incorrect.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Pro Se<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the phrase \u2018Pro Se\u2019 in legal matters where you want to tell the court that you wish to represent yourself and waive the right to legal counsel. You can use this legal strategy if you can\u2019t afford an attorney and feel the public defender isn\u2019t competent enough to handle your case.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use \u2018Pro Se\u2019 to describe legal proceedings in small claims court, where lawyers are not allowed. Typically, the phrase refers to criminal cases, not civil matters. So, you\u2019ll use it in scenarios where the judge asks you if you\u2019re waiving your right to legal counsel, choosing to represent yourself in court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you a law student accused of a crime? You could waive your right to legal representation and handle your case \u2018Pro Se.\u2019 This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u2018Pro Se\u2019 is a legal term. The word originates from the Latin term \u2018Pro Se,\u2019 meaning \u2018on behalf of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7461"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7461"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8008,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7461\/revisions\/8008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}