Constitution

  • Acquit

    To acquit a defendant means that a jury found the defendant “Not Guilty”. After an acquittal, the defendant cannot be tried again for the same crime because of the prohibition against Double Jeopardy.

  • Standing

    To sue in court, a person must have standing, meaning that person must have the proper legal right to sue. In general, this means that the person who sues must be someone who would be injured or harmed if their rights were not protected by the court. For example, usually only a person who is…

  • Double Jeopardy

    Double Jeopardy means to put someone on trial twice for the same crime.  The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the government from putting a person in double jeopardy, stating: “…nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life…

  • branch

    When referring to the the government, branch means one part of the government.  The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  States in the United States also divide their state government into these three branches. The Constitution assigns each branch of government certain powers.

  • Case or Controversy

    The case  or controversy clause is found in Article III, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution.  The text of the clause provides that the federal courts can only hear certain types of cases. For examples, federal courts can hear cases where the United States is a party or where the case is between citizens…