Under Double Jeopardy, being tried twice by the same sovereign is not allowed after which event?

Under Double Jeopardy, being tried twice by the same sovereign is not allowed after which event?

• A. After a guilty verdict
• B. After an acquittal
• C. After a mistrial
• D. After a diversion

Answer: (B)

Double jeopardy protects you from being tried again for the same offense once the prior jeopardy has ended with a final disposition. An acquittal provides that final disposition: it is a determination of not guilty, so the case is over for that offense and the government cannot retry the same person for it. That clear finality is why being tried twice is not allowed after an acquittal. By comparison, a mistrial leaves the case open and retrial is usually possible; a diversion ends without a conviction in a way that doesn’t create an automatic final bar in every jurisdiction; and a guilty verdict ends the trial with a conviction, though retrial could occur only in limited circumstances such as if the conviction is overturned on appeal. The acquittal is the point at which retrial is categorically prohibited.

Double jeopardy protects you from being tried again for the same offense once the prior jeopardy has ended with a final disposition. An acquittal provides that final disposition: it is a determination of not guilty, so the case is over for that offense and the government cannot retry the same person for it. That clear finality is why being tried twice is not allowed after an acquittal.

By comparison, a mistrial leaves the case open and retrial is usually possible; a diversion ends without a conviction in a way that doesn’t create an automatic final bar in every jurisdiction; and a guilty verdict ends the trial with a conviction, though retrial could occur only in limited circumstances such as if the conviction is overturned on appeal. The acquittal is the point at which retrial is categorically prohibited.