The Nuremberg defense is a legal defense that was used during the trials of Nazis in Nuremberg, Germany after World War II. It is a defense that says a person should not be held responsible for their actions if they were just following orders from their bosses. For example, if a soldier was told by their commander to shoot a civilian, the soldier could use the Nuremberg defense to say that they weren't guilty of any crime because they were just following orders from their leader.