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United States v. Sanford

United States Supreme Court
429 U.S. 14 (1976)

Written by DeAnna Swearingen, LLM

Facts

Sanford and others (defendants) were tried for illegal hunting. The trial judge declared a mistrial due to a hung jury. Before the retrial, the defendants made a motion to dismiss. The district court granted the motion dismissing the indictment, and the prosecution appealed. The dismissal was affirmed, and the appellate court found that retrying the defendants would violate the Double Jeopardy Clause. The prosecution petitioned the United States Supreme Court for certiorari.

Rule of Law

The rule of law is the black letter law upon which the court rested its decision. To access this section, please start your free trial or log in.

Issue

The issue section includes the dispositive legal issue in the case phrased as a question. To access this section, please start your free trial or log in.

Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)

The holding and reasoning section includes:

A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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