Fifth Amendment

[fifth uh-mend-muhnt, fith]

noun

1. an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, providing chiefly that people cannot be required to testify against themselves in a criminal case and that no person be subjected to a second trial for an offense for which they have been duly tried previously.

Fifth Amendment

noun

1. an amendment to the US Constitution stating that no person may be compelled to testify against himself and that no person may be tried for a second time on a charge for which he has already been acquitted

2. to refuse to answer a question on the grounds that it might incriminate oneself

Fifth Amendment

1. One of the ten amendments to the United States Constitution that make up the Bill of Rights. The Fifth Amendment imposes restrictions on the government's prosecution of persons accused of crimes. It prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy and mandates due process of law.

To “take the Fifth” is to refuse to testify because the testimony could lead to self-incrimination.

Example Sentences

When rents are regulated so that a property can only be rented at a loss, the plaintiffs argue that it qualifies as a taking under the Fifth Amendment.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Supreme Court held that the Fifth Amendment empowers local governments to seize private property and pass it on to private developers if the suggestion of eventual public benefit is alleged.

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Frimpong issued her tentative ruling ahead of the hearing Thursday morning, during which she heard arguments on whether the government was continuing to violate detainees’ Fifth Amendment right to access counsel.

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The Fifth Amendment protects against vindictive and selective prosecution.

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Mr Bane has also used the Fifth Amendment - the right to not give evidence that may self-incriminate - to decline questioning by police.

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