The "Twinkie Defense" refers to a legal strategy used during the trial of Dan White, who was accused of murdering San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.
The phrase "Twinkie defense" was coined by the media and not used directly in the trial.
It was employed as a colloquial term to describe the defense's argument that White's consumption of junk food, including Twinkies, was evidence of his depression, and therefore, diminished capacity.
It should be noted that the term "Twinkie defense" is considered misleading and has been criticized for oversimplifying and misrepresenting the actual defense strategy.