The courts
verdict
The jury's finding of fact at the end of a trial: guilty or not guilty in a criminal case, liable or not liable in a civil one.
In full
A verdict is not a sentence and not a judgment. Not guilty means the government failed to meet its burden, which is not the same as a finding of innocence. Federal criminal verdicts must be unanimous; a jury that cannot agree is hung, producing a mistrial rather than an acquittal, and the government may retry the case.
Also written as: acquittal, hung jury, mistrial
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.