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Under color of authority - Definition |
| Related Words: Adept, Administration, Affidavit, Aficionado, Agency, Amateur, Amperage, Announcer, Arbiter, Artisan, Artist, Ascendancy, Assignment, Attache, Authorities, Authority |
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Under color of authority is a legal phrase indicating that a person is claiming, or allowing to be inferred, that the acts he or she is committing are related to and legitimized by their role as a legitimately appointed agent of governmental power.
The phrase can be used in reference to lawful acts or unlawful acts. The statutes that define what powers police officers can exercise in the course of their duty will often include that the officer must be acting "under the color of authority." On the other hand, charges of police brutality will often include the formal charge of assault "under color of authority', as they did in the Rodney King case.
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