Trial de novo

Okay, so imagine you did something naughty like eating all the cookies in the cookie jar that your mom specifically told you not to touch. Your mom is very upset and decides to punish you by sending you to your room for the rest of the day.

Now, let's say you don't think this punishment is fair and you want to argue your case. So you go to your dad and tell him that you didn't actually eat all the cookies, it was your little sister. Your dad listens to your side of the story and thinks that maybe your punishment was too harsh.

Trial de novo is kind of like going to your dad to argue your case. It means that you get to have a new trial, almost like a do-over, and present your side of the story to a different judge or jury. This might happen if you appeal a decision made in the first trial because you didn't think it was fair, or if there was something wrong with the first trial like the judge being biased or the jury not hearing all of the evidence.

So, if you got to have a trial de novo, it means you get a second chance to prove your innocence (or guilt) and see if you can get a different outcome. It's kind of like a "reset" button to try again and see if the punishment fits the crime.