Constitutional Law/Criminal Procedure——Expanding the Scope of the Double Jeopardy Clause to Prohibit Reconsideration of Mid-Trial Acquittals——Smith v. Massachusetts, 543 U.S. 462 (2005)

The Double Jeopardy Clause prevents the government from subjecting an individual to multiple criminal prosecutions for the same offense.  In so doing, it protects an individual’s interest in the finality of acquittals and it protects him from suffering any prejudice from the stress and risks of additional proceedings.  In Smith v. Massachusetts, the Supreme Court considered whether the trial judge could reexamine her mid-trial acquittal after the trial had proceeded past the defendant’s opportunity to present his case.  The Court held that the Double Jeopardy Clause would not allow the judge to reconsider her initial acquittal because correcting her decision would cause Smith to suffer prejudice. . . .