Palko v Connecticut

Definition

A Supreme Court case in 1937 where it was decided that protection against double jeopardy (being tried twice for the same crime) did not apply to state governments under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Related terms

Double Jeopardy: The legal principle that an individual cannot be tried twice for the same offense.

Fourteenth Amendment: An amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting citizenship rights and equal protection under law for all citizens.

Selective Incorporation: A constitutional doctrine that ensures states cannot enact laws that infringe or take away from citizen's constitutional rights granted by Bill of Rights.