In a jury trial, the Chewbacca defense is a legal strategy in which a criminal defense lawyer tries to confuse the jury rather than refute the case of the prosecutor. It is an intentional distraction or obfuscation.
As a Chewbacca defense distracts and misleads, it is an example of a red herring. It is also an example of an irrelevant conclusion, a type of informal fallacy in which one making an argument fails to address the issue in question.[1][2] Often an opposing counsel can legally object to such arguments by declaring them irrelevant, character evidence, or argumentative.
The name "Chewbacca defense" comes from "Chef Aid", an episode of the American animated series South Park.[3] The episode, which premiered on October 7, 1998, satirizes the O. J. Simpson murder trial, particularly attorney Johnnie Cochran's closing argument for the defense. In the episode, a fictionalized version of Cochran bases his argument on a false premise about the 1983 film Return of the Jedi. He asks the jury why a Wookiee like Chewbacca would want to live on Endor with the much smaller Ewoks when "it does not make sense". He argues that if Chewbacca living on Endor does not make sense—and if even mentioning Chewbacca in the case does not make sense—then the jury must acquit.
^Willing v. State, Slip Copy at n.1 (Sup. Ct. Nev. May 14, 2013).
^Bd. of Trustees of Galveston Wharves v. Trelleborg, CV 10-2319-GW (C.D. Cal. Nov. 22, 2010)
^"The Chewbacca Defense is Used in Court". YouTube. South Park Studios - Comedy Central. October 7, 1998. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
In a jury trial, the Chewbaccadefense is a legal strategy in which a criminal defense lawyer tries to confuse the jury rather than refute the case of...
harassment. Cochran employs the "Chewbaccadefense", resulting in a win for the record company and damages to be paid by the defense. Chef now has 24 hours to...
Chewbacca (/tʃuːˈbɑːkə/ choo-BAH-kə), nicknamed "Chewie", is a character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a Wookiee—a tall, hairy, highly intelligent...
the Pirate Bay trial. Amused online commentators compared it to the Chewbaccadefense from the TV series South Park, citing a reference to the "jungles...
But I want a lawyer who's going to win for me." Affluenza Chewbaccadefense Gay panic defense The San Ysidro McDonald's massacre, blamed by the gunman's...
to understand him. Affluenza defenseChewbaccadefense King Kong defense Shaggy defense Simulated reality Twinkie defense Bean, Matt (May 21, 2003). "'Matrix'...
called in the show the Chewbaccadefense, which is a legal strategy that involves addressing plot holes related to Chewbacca in the film Return of the...
conflicting explanations. Actual innocence Chewbaccadefense Idiot defense King Kong defense The Matrix defense Twinkie defense "Shaggy's single is UK's best-seller"...
in which he appears using a confusing legal strategy called "the Chewbaccadefense", a direct parody of his closing argument when defending O. J. Simpson...
presidential transition in the United States. Chewbaccadefense – Nonsensical diversionary legal defense strategy Dead cat bounce – Small, brief recovery...
clothes you leave in the bathroom?"). In jury trial, it is known as a Chewbaccadefense. In political strategy, it is called a dead cat strategy. Ad hominem...
Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Ad hominem Begging the question Chewbaccadefense Enthymeme Evasion (ethics) Genetic fallacy List of fallacies Non sequitur...
as Richard Whately in the eighteenth century. Chewbaccadefense – Nonsensical diversionary legal defense strategy Fallacy – Argument that uses faulty reasoning...
Princess Leia infiltrates the palace under the pretense of having captured Chewbacca. She releases Han from the carbonite, but is caught by Jabba and enslaved...
TheForce.Net Spaceballs Force for Change Chewbaccadefense Yoda conditions Death Star (business) Strategic Defense Initiative List of organisms named after...
TheForce.Net Spaceballs Force for Change Chewbaccadefense Yoda conditions Death Star (business) Strategic Defense Initiative List of organisms named after...
"gritty and dark" and was expected to feature characters such as Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett, C-3PO, and Emperor Palpatine. Lucas described...
Rebecca (April 7, 2014). "'Star Wars: Episode VII' Adds Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July...
Band Jams". Heard twice in the film, once after Jabba sends the Wookiee Chewbacca to jail, and again on Jabba's sail barge Khetanna (hence its title). A...