Roberts v. State

Mississippi Supreme Court
Roberts v. State, 72 Miss. 728 (Miss. 1895)
Whitfield

Roberts v. State

Opinion of the Court

Whitfield, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

This appeal is disposed of by § 22, constitution 1890, which provides: “No person’s life or liberty shall be twice placed in jeopardy for the same offense; but there must be an actual acquittal or conviction on the merits to bar another prosecution. ’ ’ The last clause of this section changes, fundamentally, the old rule, and wisely puts an end to the unmeritorious escape of persons charged with crime, who had been only technically, not really, once tried. It was put into the constitution in the interest of due and proper administration of the criminal law, is too plain for construction, means exactly what it says, and, under it, the action of the court below was correct, and the judgment is

Affirmed.

Reference

Full Case Name
Sam Roberts v. State
Cited By
3 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
FORMER Jeopardy. Discharge of jm-or. Trial mi the merits. Const. 1890, ji 22. Under \\ 22, const. 1890, providing that there must be an actual acquittal or conviction on the merits to bar another prosecution, a prisoner cannot be discharged on the plea of former jeopardy, on the ground that during his trial, after a witness had been examined, one of the jurors, having recalled the fact that he was on the grand jury which returned the indictment, was, on the motion of the state and without defendant’s consent, discharged. In such case it is proper to substitute a juror and proceed with the trial.