Administration of Justice Bulletin #2025/03

Protection against double jeopardy is a fundamental principle of the common law. Though it is enshrined in constitutions and codified in statutes, it derives much of its force from the respect for precedent that guides Anglo-American judicial decision-making. This bulletin provides a detailed overview of double jeopardy in North Carolina, including discussion of the four scenarios to which the protection against double jeopardy applies: a prior acquittal, a prior conviction, a prior mistrial, and multiple punishments for the same offense.