double jeopardy

noun

, Law.

1. the subjecting of a person to a second trial or punishment for the same offense for which the person has already been tried or punished.

double jeopardy

noun

1. the act of prosecuting a defendant a second time for an offence for which he has already been tried

double jeopardy

1. Trying a person twice in the same jurisdiction for the same crime, a practice prohibited by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution . ( See due process of law .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of double jeopardy¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Rearrests of prisoners at the prison gates “are arbitrary actions… illegal detentions and cases of double jeopardy,” says Noah Bullock, the executive director of El Salvador’s leading human rights NGO, Cristosal.

From BBC

While Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton precede the vice president in this ceiling-breaking pantheon, neither experienced the double jeopardy of being Black and female.

From Los Angeles Times

The dual sovereignty doctrine allows two different agencies to file charges for the same crime without violating the 5th Amendment’s double jeopardy clause, as long as the crime affects both jurisdictions.

From Los Angeles Times

Defense lawyers argued that prosecuting DePape in a state court for the same criminal acts that he had already been convicted of in federal court amounted to double jeopardy, banned by Fifth Amendment.

From New York Times

Mr. DePape’s defense lawyers in the state trial, which began last week, argued that prosecuting him again at the state level amounted to double jeopardy.

From New York Times