Also known as: judgement of acquittal · judgments of acquittal · judgements of acquittal · acquittal judgment · directed acquittal
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A court order directing that a defendant be acquitted of one or more charges because the prosecution evidence is legally insufficient to support a conviction. The order may be entered on the defendant's motion or on the court's own initiative after the government closes its case or after all evidence is presented. Entry of the order terminates the prosecution on the affected charges with the force of an acquittal.
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Jordan Jenkins stood trial on wire-fraud charges. After the government rested, Jenkins moved for a judgment of acquittal. The district court found the evidence failed to prove the required intent element and granted the motion, ending the case without submitting any count to the jury.
Jerome Jackson was convicted by jury on conspiracy charges. Fifteen days later his counsel filed a renewed motion for judgment of acquittal. The court considered whether any rational juror could have found the evidence sufficient and denied the motion as untimely under the fourteen-day limit.
Julia Jensen faced charges arising from recorded vendor conversations. After the jury convicted her, she moved for judgment of acquittal within fourteen days, arguing the recordings could not prove a corrupt agreement. The court reviewed the evidence in the light most favorable to the government and denied relief.
Javier Jimenez was convicted after officers testified they saw him discard an object. He moved for judgment of acquittal, claiming the testimony could not establish knowing possession. The court examined the record and concluded a rational jury could find the element proved, so it denied the motion.
Jeanette Jensen was tried for targeting a law-enforcement officer. At the close of the state's case she moved for judgment of acquittal on the ground that intent to kill an officer had not been proved. The trial court denied the motion and allowed the case to proceed to the jury.
Jason Jung was convicted on multiple counts. Within fourteen days after the verdict he renewed his motion for judgment of acquittal. The court evaluated whether the evidence met the constitutional sufficiency standard and denied the motion, preserving the jury's findings.
A judgment of acquittal bars retrial because it constitutes an acquittal for double-jeopardy purposes. The bar applies whether the ruling follows a jury trial or a bench trial and whether the judge's sufficiency determination is correct or mistaken.
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A defendant may move for judgment of acquittal or renew an earlier motion within fourteen days after a guilty verdict or after the jury is discharged, whichever occurs later.
…that he wanted to shoot police officers. At the close of the State’s evidence, the trial court denied Clark’s motion for judgment of acquittal for failure to prove intent to kill a law enforcement officer or knowledge that Officer Moritz was a law enforcement officer. In presenting the defense case, Clark claimed mental illness,…
…2d 940, 206 N. Y. S. 2d 377 (1960). Cf. Fed. Rule Crim. Proc. 29 (c) ("It shall not be necessary to the making of [a motion for judgment of acquittal
…that the jury followed these instructions. Stevens also contends that the district court erred in denying his motion for a judgment of acquittal
…jury then returned a verdict of guilty. (Tr. at 567.) II. RULE 29 STANDARD Rule 29 provides that the court “must enter a judgment of acquittal
…the Court of Appeals. Held: The convictions are reversed, and the cause remanded to the District Court with directions to enter judgments of acquittal
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Yes. An express or implied determination that evidence is insufficient to support the greater offense operates as an acquittal of that offense even if a conviction on the lesser included offense is later set aside.
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Yes. When the court grants a post-verdict judgment of acquittal, the government may appeal without violating double jeopardy because reversal would merely reinstate the jury verdict.
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No. A defendant need not have moved for judgment of acquittal before the case was submitted to the jury in order to file a timely post-verdict motion.
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