Meaning & use
mistrial
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Meaning
nouncountablelegal
A trial that is stopped and declared invalid because of a serious mistake in the process or because the jury cannot agree.
Grammar: Countable: 'a mistrial', 'two mistrials'. Often used with 'declare' or 'order': 'The judge declared a mistrial.'
Patterns
- declare a mistrial
- end in a mistrial
- be declared a mistrial
The judge declared a mistrial after the witness mentioned evidence that was not allowed.
The jury was deadlocked, so the case ended in a mistrial.
If the error is serious enough, the court may order a mistrial.
Word forms
| plural | mistrials |
|---|
Common combinations
- declare a mistrial
- The judge had no choice but to declare a mistrial.
- end in a mistrial
- The high-profile case ended in a mistrial.
- move for a mistrial
- The defense lawyer moved for a mistrial.
- deadlocked jury mistrial
- A deadlocked jury mistrial means the prosecution can try the case again.
Synonyms and how they differ
- invalid trial
- A descriptive phrase, not a legal term; it explains the result but is not used in court.
Word family
Commonly confused: mistrial or retrial?
mistrial vs retrial
A retrial is a new trial of the same case; a mistrial is the invalid trial itself.
Practice
The jury could not reach a verdict, so the judge had to declare a ___.
Choose one answer.
A trial that ends without a verdict because the jury is deadlocked is called a mistrial. A retrial is a new trial that may follow; 'mistake' and 'misjudgment' are general words and are not legal terms used in this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mistrial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.