I rest my case

The phrase I rest my case is an idiom. We will examine the meaning of the idiom I rest my case, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

I rest my case is a phrase that is used when one feels he has proven his point, that he has presented irrefutable evidence to back up his position. The idiom I rest my case is derived from the practice of law. After a lawyer or legal advocate finishes presenting the facts of his argument in a trial, he is said to “rest”, or he may say, “I rest my case”. Exactly when the phrase I rest my case became an idiom is up for debate, but it is reasonable to assume that the use of the term in radio and television courtroom dramas influenced the everyday use of this phrase. Related phrases are I rested my case and I’m resting my case, though these expressions are not used nearly as often.

Examples

Has anyone ever rushed to a scene upon hearing its klaxons? I rest my case. (The Atlantic)

“In the past decade, the city has received 99.97 percent of the tax increases. The school department has gotten less than 1 percent. I rest my case.” (The Warwick Beacon)

Still. What if those had been mealworms? I rest my case. (The Dallas Observer)

Told that the White House denied being the source of the leak, Pelosi responded, “I rest my case.” (National Public Radio)