double jeopardy clause

noun

variants or Double Jeopardy Clause

: a clause in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that bars the government from prosecuting a person for the same offense more than once and prohibits multiple punishments for the same offense

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of double jeopardy clause was in 1900

See more words from the same year

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Style

“Double jeopardy clause.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double%20jeopardy%20clause. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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