consent decree

noun

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of consent decree

: a judicial decree that sanctions a voluntary agreement between parties in dispute

Recent Examples of consent decree from the Web

The New Orleans jail is five years into a federal consent decree aimed at improving conditions there.

— emily lane, NOLA.com, "Death rate at Baton Rouge jail 2.5 times the national average: report," 1 June 2018
The city is under a consent decree with federal and state environmental regulators to end the overflows, which violate the federal Clean Water Act, by 2022.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "Weekend rain washes 10 million gallons of sewage-contaminated water into Baltimore's Jones Falls," 30 May 2018
During the meeting, members accused Emanuel of not taking their interests into consideration because of, in part, a consent decree with the federal government that’s in the works, The Chicago Tribune reported.

— Fox News, "8 people killed, 25 wounded in bloody weekend in Chicago," 28 May 2018
The explanation Greitens provided in the consent decree and campaign disclosure filing was a lie, Laub said.

— jason hancock, kansascity, "Greitens won’t face charges for allegedly lying to state ethics commission | The Kansas City Star," 18 May 2018
As part of that effort, the civil rights organizations agreed to suspend their lawsuit while consulting on the reforms that will be spelled out in the consent decree.

— rosemary sobol, chicagotribune.com, "Civil rights groups issue 10-point plan for anti-violence training, other reforms for Chicago police," 15 May 2018
The bulk of that amount would pay a consultant to monitor a consent decree, outlining reforms to the Police Department's policies and practices, which is included in the settlement.

— ashley luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Sterling Brown case: What we know about the arrest of the Milwaukee Bucks rookie," 24 May 2018
The public comment period continues through June 6 and can be accessed, along with the consent decree, at www.in.gov/idem/cleanwater/2538.htm.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Environmental groups to host session on U.S. Steel spill consent decree," 21 May 2018
In April 2017, a federal judge ordered sweeping police reforms, known as a consent decree, after months of negotiations between the Baltimore Police Department and Justice Department.

— tim prudente, baltimoresun.com, "A look at recent Baltimore Police scandals, from De Sousa's resignation to Gun Trace Task Force," 16 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'consent decree.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.