double jeopardy

American  

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.

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double jeopardy British  

noun

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

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double jeopardy Cultural  

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.)

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Etymology

Origin of double jeopardy

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Mangione's attorneys frequently argued that the double jeopardy law protects him from being prosecuted twice - by the state and the federal government - for the same crime.

From BBC

When that happens, employees face what planners often call “double jeopardy”: declining portfolio values paired with increased job risk.

From MarketWatch

That has been allowed in exceptional circumstances since 2011 under double jeopardy legislation, but the method of acquittal plays no part in that process.

From BBC

The prohibition of double jeopardy explicitly references threats to “life and limb.”

From Salon

Following an appeal to the Court of Appeal in November 2024, Rhodes was retried under the double jeopardy rules.

From BBC