Nolle prosequi — Latin for “to be unwilling to prosecute” — is the formal declaration by a prosecutor that they are dropping criminal charges. It is among the most consequential acts in the criminal justice system and one of the most misunderstood by defendants who receive it. What It Is Prosecutors hold broad discretion over whether to pursue criminal charges. When a prosecutor decides to abandon a case — whether because evidence is insufficient, a witness is unavailable, a plea agreement with another defendant has resolved the matter, or the case is no longer in the public interest — they file a nolle prosequi (often abbreviated nol-pros or nol.