The Supreme Court has held that the double jeopardy clause prevents imposition of a death sentence upon retrial when a jury had imposed life imprisonment at the first trial.

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This is known as the "mandate rule" or "mandate of acquittal." Once a jury has acquitted a defendant or imposed a certain sentence, the government cannot retry the defendant for the same crime with the intention of imposing a harsher sentence. This principle is grounded in the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The Supreme Court Has Held That the Double Jeopardy Clause