MERCY

(A) Practice. To be in mercy, signifies to be liable to punishment at the discretion of the judge. In practice. The arbitrament of the king or Judge in punishing offenses not directly censured by law. Jacob. So, “to be in mercy” signifies to be amerced or fined for bringing or defending an unjust suit, or to be liable to punishment In the discretion of the court. (B) crim. law. The total or partial remission of a punishment to which a convict is subject. When the whole punishment is remitted, it is called a pardon; when only a part of the punishment is remitted, it is frequently a conditional pardon; or before sentence, it is called clemency or mercy. In criminal law. The discretion of a judge, within the limits prescribed by. positive law, to remit altogether the punishment to which a convicted person is liable, or to mitigate the severity of his sentence; as when a jury recommends the prisoner to the mercy of the court.