Perjury — in plain language

Plain language

lying while under oath in a legal proceeding — telling the court or other official body something you know is false after promising to tell the truth

• lying under oath
• false swearing
• sworn false statement
• lying after taking an oath

What to watch for

• Perjury requires knowing the statement is false — an honest mistake or misunderstanding is not perjury. A plain-language translation must not imply that any false statement counts.
• Perjury applies to sworn statements outside of court too, like affidavits, depositions, and sworn declarations. Translating it as only 'lying in court' misses important contexts.
• The statement must be about something important (material) to the case — lying about something irrelevant is not perjury. The translation should not suggest all lies under oath qualify.
• 'Penalty of perjury' in documents is not the same as perjury itself — it's a warning that lying in that document carries the same punishment as perjury. Translators should distinguish the warning from the crime.

What Makes Perjury Different From Other Lies. Not every false statement in a legal context is perjury. The person must have knowingly lied about something important while under oath. An honest mistake, exaggeration, or lie about something irrelevant doesn't count. The plain-language version should emphasize the intentional nature and the importance of what was lied about.

Perjury Outside of Court. Perjury applies to any sworn statement, including affidavits, depositions, sworn declarations, and even some tax returns and license applications. When translating documents that reference perjury, consider whether the context is courtroom testimony or another type of sworn statement.

Common Misunderstandings by Non-Lawyers.

• "Perjury means you lied about anything under oath." (No — it must be about something material to the matter at hand.)
• "If I lie in a regular conversation, that's perjury." (No — perjury only applies to sworn statements in legal proceedings or documents.)
• "I have to be in a courtroom for it to be perjury." (No — sworn affidavits and depositions count too.)

Legal definition

Lying while under oath in a legal proceeding — telling a court, tribunal, or other official body something you know is false after promising to tell the truth. Perjury is a serious crime because our legal system depends on people telling the truth when they swear to do so. It applies not just to courtroom testimony, but also to sworn affidavits, depositions, and other formal statements made under oath.

Examples

Where you'll see it

• court testimony
• sworn affidavits
• depositions
• legal declarations
• tax returns
• license applications

Related terms

• subornation of perjury
• obstruction of justice
• contempt
• affidavit
• sworn testimony
• penalty of perjury

Word details

Pronunciation

PAIR-uh-jree

Part of speech

noun

Origin

Latin — from 'periurus' — swearing falsely, false oath

Domains

criminal law, crimes against the government, judicial and procedural tort claims, civil claims

Frequency

common

Formality

high