acquittal n : a judgment of not guilty [ant: conviction]

Acquittal \Ac*quit"tal\, n.
1. The act of acquitting; discharge from debt or obligation; acquittance.
2. (Law) A setting free, or deliverance from the charge of an offense, by verdict of a jury or sentence of a court. --Bouvier.

See more meaning on Acquittal...

In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the innocence of the accused, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi. Under the rules of double jeopardy and autrefois acquit, an acquittal operates to bar the retrial of the accused for the same offense, even if new evidence surfaces that further implicates the accused. The effect of an acquittal on criminal proceedings is the same whether it results from a jury verdict, or whether it results from the operation of some other rule that discharges the accused.

Scots law has two acquittal verdicts: not guilty and not proven. However a verdict of "not proven" does not give rise to the double jeopardy rule.

In England and Wales, which share a common legal system, the Criminal Justice Act 2003 creates an exception to the double jeopardy rule, by providing that retrials may be ordered if "new and compelling evidence" comes to light after an acquittal for a serious crime. Also the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 permits a "tainted acquittal" to be set aside in circumstances where it is proved beyond reasonable doubt that an acquittal has been obtained by violence or threats of violence to a witness or juror/s.

• Reflections on the acquittal of Byron Sonne - Boing Boing (blog)
  Yesterday, Byron Sonne was acquitted of all charges against him. Sonne is the Toronto-area security researcher who pointedly demonstrated the inadequacy and incoherence of the heavy-handed, $1.2B security arrangements for the G20 summit in 2010. Denise ... Read more on this news related to 'Acquittal'
• Ex-Houston cop unsure what's next after acquittal - El Paso Times
  HOUSTON—A former Houston police officer found not guilty of official oppression in the videotaped beating of a 15-year-old burglary suspect says he has no regrets but will take a "deep breath" before deciding whether to go back into law ... Read more on this news related to 'Acquittal'
• In The First Occupy Wall Street Protest Trial, Acquittal - Village Voice (blog)
  The NYPD has arrested protesters and journalists thousands of times since Occupy Wall Street first began in September, but the case of Alexander Arbuckle was the first of them to actually go to trial. Arbuckle was arrested while photographing a march early ... Read more on this news related to 'Acquittal'