legal word of the day: DOUBLE JEOPARDY DOCTRINE

legal word of the day: DOUBLE JEOPARDY DOCTRINE

ENG: a person cannot be tried twice for the same offence (also spelt: offense (US))

POL:  zakaz ponownego sądzenia za ten sam czyn (polski odpowiednik: ne bis in idem – nie dwa razy w tej samej sprawie)

US: The Fifth Amendment protects Americans from:

o   retrial after an acquittal;

o   retrial after a conviction;

o   retrial after certain mistrials; and

o   multiple punishment.

UK: a case may be retried if there is new and compelling evidence (the Criminal Justice Act 2003)

the FIFTH AMENDMENT – piąta poprawka do Kostytucji Stanów Zjednoczonych (part of the Bill of Rights (1791))

a RETRIAL – ponowny proces (a new trial granted upon the motion of the losing party, based on obvious error, bias or newly-discovered evidence)

an ACQUITTAL – uniewinnienie, wyrok uniewinniający (a formal declaration in court that a person is not guilty of a crime they were accused of)

a CONVICTION – wyrok skazujący (a judgement in which the defendant was found guilty, a finding of guilt in a criminal case)

a MISTRIAL – nieważne postępowanie, nieważny proces (an invalid trial  due to an error in the proceedings or because the jury couldn’t reach a verdict)

PUNISHMENT – kara (a penalty inflicted as retribution for an offence)

COMPELLING – silny, przekonujący (strong)

(1) Non bis in idem originates in Roman civil law, but it is essentially the equivalent of the double jeopardy doctrine found in common law jurisdictions.

a JURISDICTION – obszar właściwości, jurysdykcja (a territory over which a specific court has the authority to hear a case)

(2) Double jeopardy applies only to charges that were the subject of an earlier final judgment.  A second trial held after a mistrial does not violate the double jeopardy clause because a mistrial ends a trial prematurely without a judgment of guilty or not.

to APPLY – mieć zastosowanie (to be able to be used)

a CHARGE – zarzut (a formal accusation of a crime)

to be the SUBJECT OF –  być przedmiotem czegoś (to be connected to)

to HOLD A TRIAL – przeprowadzić rozprawę (to have the hearing of statements and arguments in a court of law to resolve a dispute or decide if a person is guilty of a crime)

a MISTRIAL –nieważne postępowanie, nieważny proces (an invalid trial  due to an error in the proceedings or because the jury couldn’t reach a verdict)

to VIOLATE – naruszyć (to go against)

a CLAUSE – klauzula (a paragraph or section of a contract, statute, rule or other legal document)

PREMATURELY – przedwcześnie (before it is expected)

a JUDGMENT – wyrok (a decision of the court)

(3) If all elements of a lesser offense are relied on to prove a greater offense, the two crimes are the "same offense" for double jeopardy purposes, and the doctrine will bar the second prosecution. The defendant had first been convicted of operating an automobile without the owner's consent, and later of stealing the same automobile. The Supreme Court concluded that the same evidence was necessary to prove both offenses, and that in effect there was only one offense. Therefore, it overturned the second conviction.

a LESSER OFFENSE – przestępstwo zagrożone niższą karą (an offense that carries a smaller punishment)

a GREATER OFFENSE – przestępstwo zagrożone wyższą karą (an offense that carries a bigger punishment)

FOR THE PURPOSES OF – w kontekście (in the context of)

to BAR– zakazywać (to not allow)

to be CONVICTED OF – być skazanym w związku z popełnieniem… (to be found guilty of)

WITHOUT SOMEONE’S CONSENT bez zgody (without someone’s agreement)

THE SUPREME COURT – Sąd Najwyższy (the highest court)

to OVERTURN – uchylić (to declare the judgment wrong and invalid)

a CONVICTION – wyrok skazujący (a judgement in which the defendant was found guilty, a finding of guilt in a criminal case)

(4) If the earlier trial is a fraud, double jeopardy will not prohibit a new trial because the party acquitted has prevented themselves from being placed into "jeopardy" to begin with.

a FRAUD – oszustwo (wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain)

to PROHIBIT – zakazywać (to not allow)

to ACQUIT – wydać wyrok uniewinniający/ unniewinnić (to declare that the person is not guilty of a crime)

PLACED INTO JEOPARDY – być sądzonym (to be tried by a criminal court)

(5) Double jeopardy also does not apply if the later charge is civil rather than criminal in nature. For example, O. J. Simpson was acquitted of a double homicide in a California criminal prosecution, but lost a civil wrongful death claim brought over the same victims.

to APPLY– mieć zastosowanie (to be able to be used)

a CHARGE– zarzut (a formal accusation of a crime)

to ACQUIT– wydać wyrok unniewiniający/ unniewinnić (to declare that the person is not guilty of a crime)

a HOMICIDE – zabójstwo (the killing of one person by another)

a WRONGFUL DEATH CLAIM – powództwo rodziny zmarłego o odszkodowanie/ zadośćuczynienie (a lawsuit, brought by the surviving family members and/or loved ones of someone who was killed as a result of someone else's careless (negligent) behavior or an intentional act.

to BRING A CIVIL CLAIM – wytoczyć powództwo (to start civil proceedings)

(6) A state may try a defendant for murder, after which the Federal government might try the same defendant for a Federal crime.

to TRY – sądzić (to decide about the guilt)

a FEDERAL CRIME – przestępstwo karane na podstawie przepisów federalnych, czyli obowiązujących we wszystkich stanach w przeciwieństwie do przestępstwa stanowego (a crime punishable based on the federal law as opposed to the law of a single state)