Glossary
Acquittal
A finding that a criminal defendant is not guilty. After an acquittal, double jeopardy bars the government from retrying the defendant for the same offense: even if new evidence emerges later.
An acquittal can come from a jury verdict of not guilty, or from the judge ruling at the close of the prosecution's case that no reasonable jury could convict (a "judgment of acquittal").
The double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment makes acquittals final: even if the prosecutor missed evidence, even if a witness later changes their story, even if the acquittal seems plainly wrong. The government's one shot at conviction is the trial that just ended.
Acquittal isn't the same as a finding of innocence. It just means the prosecution didn't meet its burden. The defendant is treated as not guilty in the eyes of the criminal law, but other consequences (employment, immigration, civil suits) may still flow from the underlying conduct.