beyond reasonable doubt
Jury's conviction threshold
Beyond reasonable doubt is the standard of proof required for criminal conviction—the highest threshold in law.
Jurors must be firmly convinced of guilt, with no plausible alternative explanation.
It doesn't require absolute certainty, but doubt based on reason rather than speculation must favor acquittal: The prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
- shadow of a doubtMinimal remaining uncertainty
- doubtLack of firm belief
- certaintyTotal absence of doubt
- moral certaintyFirm ethical conviction
- high barElevated gymnastics apparatus
legal · lawyer · presumption of innocence · not guilty · guilty verdict · mens rea · evidence · burden of proof · criminal trial · criminal law · proof · standard of proof · conviction · judicial · defendant · admissibility · justice · prosecutor
- courtroom expressionsobjection, sustained, overruled, all rise, guilty
- criminal trialarraignment, defense attorney, courtroom, criminal trial, prosecutor
- criminal trialstrials, accused, verdicts, convictions, charges
- jury trialjury deliberation, jury selection, juror selection, voir dire, jury pool
- legal doctrinescollateral estoppel, strict scrutiny, equal protection, sovereign immunity, absolute immunity
- legal proofburden of proof, standard of proof, clear and convincing, onus, preponderance
beyond reasonable doubtpreponderance of the evidence
Civil standard of proof
probable cause · reasonable suspicion · insufficient evidence · unproven · unsubstantiated
beyond reasonable doubtuncertain
Not firmly known
doubtful · questionable · speculative · inconclusive · dubious
beyond, reasonable, reason, doubts, doubted, doubting, doubtful, doubtfully, doubtless