Қарсылық білдірмеу арқылы сотқа жүгіну шарасы

Plea of "no contest" where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge

Nolo contendere (,/n//oʊ//l//oʊ// //k//ə//n/'/t//ɛ//n//d//ə//ɹ//i/) is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of guilty or not guilty. A no contest plea, while not technically a guilty plea, typically has the same immediate effect as a guilty plea and is often offered as a part of a plea bargain. The primary distinction between an Alford plea and a nolo contendere plea is that, in an Alford plea, the defendant pleads guilty (in a formal sense) yet in a nolo contendere plea, the defendant does not assert innocence or guilt. A formal admission of guilt under an Alford plea can be used against the defendant in future civil suits, whereas nolo contendere pleas cannot.

In Florida, the Supreme Court held in 2005 that no contest convictions may be treated as prior convictions for the purposes of future sentencing. A nolo contendere plea may be appropriate "where the defendant would not be able to supply a sufficient factual basis for a guilty plea because he or she was intoxicated on the night of the incident, where there is the possibility of future civil litigation resulting from the offense, or where a defendant cannot remember the events which led to his or her being charged with a crime". A no contest plea prevents the court from eliciting a defendant's admission of guilt, but the result of the defendant's plea not to contest the charges against him or her is the same as if the defendant had admitted guilt. If a defendant pleads no contest to a charged offense, with the exception of questioning the defendant about his or her role in the charged offense, the court must proceed in the same manner as if the defendant had pleaded guilty. A plea of no contest to a felony offense requires the court's consent. A defendant's no contest plea to criminal charges does not estop that defendant from denying responsibility in a later civil action arising from the same conduct.

According to South Carolina code, the defendant in any misdemeanor case in any of the courts may enter a plea of nolo contendere with the consent of the court. The plea of guilty will be recorded on defendant records and will not affect sentencing.

In Texas, the right to appeal the results of a plea bargain taken from a plea of either nolo contendere or "guilty" is highly restricted. Defendants who have entered a plea of nolo contendere may only appeal the judgment of the court if the appeal is based on written pretrial motions ruled upon by the court.