DVD Jon retrial begins today (Register)
DVD Jon retrial begins today (Register)
Posted Dec 2, 2003 17:31 UTC (Tue) by jack_walker (guest, #17402)In reply to: DVD Jon retrial begins today (Register) by sethg
Parent article: DVD Jon retrial begins today (Register)
In the US, the government can never be a plaintiff in a _civil_ trial. In recent prominent cases in the US, private individuals have brought suit against acquitted defendants but neither the US or state governments have participated in any other capacity than providing the court system in which the civil trials took place.
Double jeopardy only applies in criminal trials and does not prevent a private entity from bringing suit against a plaintiff. The principle of double jeopardy is specifically designed to limit the power of the government to persecute individuals.
Jack
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