Question

In a court of law, the jury found the defendant guilty, but he, in fact, is innocent. This would be considered which of the following?

a) A miscarriage of justice
b) A valid legal decision
c) An appropriate judicial outcome
d) A judicial error

Answer 1

In a court of law, if a jury finds a defendant guilty when they are actually innocent, it is a miscarriage of justice. The Double Jeopardy clause in the Bill of Rights prevents the same person from being tried again for the same offense if they have been acquitted.Option A is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a court of law, when the jury finds a defendant guilty but he or she is in fact innocent, this is considered a miscarriage of justice. This term refers to a legal outcome in which a person is convicted and possibly punished for a crime they did not commit, due to a failure in the judicial process, including judicial errors, misconduct by the prosecution, or other factors leading to an incorrect verdict.

The Double Jeopardy clause in the Bill of Rights specifically addresses what happens after a verdict is reached. Under this rule, option a) 'prosecuting someone in a state court for a criminal act they had been acquitted of in federal court' is forbidden. The purpose of the Double Jeopardy protection is to prevent a situation where a defendant is tried multiple times for the same offense, which is seen as oppressive and contrary to the principles of justice.