What is the legal term for the plea where the defendant admits the action but denies wrongdoing?
<p>My understanding is that:</p>

<ul>
<li>A "guilty" plea means the defendant admits that they have performed the action(s) in question and admits wrongdoing (hence "guilty"); while</li>
<li>A "not guilty" plea means the defendant not only denies wrongdoing, but denies having performed the action(s) in question.</li>
</ul>

<p>What would be the name of a plea where the defendant admits to having performed the action(s) in question, but denies any wrongdoing? I thought this was <em>nolo contendere</em>, but turns out that means something completely different.</p>

<p>A plea consenting to entry of a criminal judgment, in general, without admitting that one is actually guilty of the crime, is called a <strong>no contest</strong> plea or a <strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolo_contendere" rel="nofollow noreferrer">nolo contendere</a></strong> plea. Among lawyers it is often called an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alford_plea" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Alford</em> plea</a>, although in West Virginia it is called a <em>Kennedy</em> plea (in both cases named after court cases related to that kind of plea).</p>

<p>A plea where a defendant admits to having performed the actions in question but denies any wrong doing is a sub-set of this type of plea.</p>

<p>When a no contest plea is made reserving the right to appeal whether a crime has been committed if the admitted facts are true, this subtype of no contest plea is sometimes called a <strong><a href="https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/conditional-pleas.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">conditional plea</a></strong>. If the defendant prevails on appeal, the no contest plea in a conditional plea is withdrawn. See also <a href="https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/conditional-plea-bargain.html?redesigned=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>

united-states criminal-law