acquittal

A legal finding that a defendant is not guilty of the charges brought against them. In a federal criminal trial, an acquittal requires a unanimous jury verdict and results in the immediate release of the defendant and bars retrial on the same charges under the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment. In a Senate impeachment trial, a vote to acquit means the official is not removed from office; a two-thirds supermajority of senators present is required to convict.