GUILTY or NOT?
The original daily true crime puzzle. One real criminal case a day. You're the judge.
How it plays
- Read the brief. The facts as the court had them. No names, no hint of the outcome.
- Weigh both sides. The prosecution's argument against the defense's, point for point.
- Render your verdict. Guilty, or not guilty. Commit — the timer stops when you do.
- See what the court decided. The real ruling, the court's reasoning, the citation, and how the rest of the day's players voted.
Why it's harder than it looks
The question is never "did they do it?" It's "did the prosecution prove it?" A case where the defendant almost certainly did the thing can still end in an acquittal because of how the evidence was gathered, what the statute actually requires, or what the state could and couldn't show. Every day's case turns on one of those hinges, and finding it is the puzzle.
Streaks and ranks
Correct verdicts score points and build your streak. Points carry you up the bench — Magistrate, District Judge, Circuit Judge, Appeals Justice, Senior Justice, Chief Justice — and the day's leaderboard shows where you landed against everyone else.
Recently on the bench
A few of the cases players have judged lately. Each page has the facts and the citation; the verdict stays in the game.
- Two Mortal Wounds — Manslaughter, California
- The Orphan's Insult — Second-degree murder, Tennessee
- The Silenced Warning — Murder (aiding and abetting), Alabama
- The Man at the Window — Burglary and larceny, Missouri
- Russian Poker — Second-degree murder, Pennsylvania
- Shot in the Dark — Attempted murder, Virginia
- Passing the Buck — Aiding and abetting possession of counterfeit money, New York
- Let It Burn — Arson to defraud an insurer, Massachusetts
Browse every case in the library
Free to play
Today's case is free, every day, no account. Every past case is free too.
Questions
- How long does a case take?
- Most people finish in two to four minutes. Hard cases can take longer if you read both sides carefully — which is the point.
- Are the cases real?
- Every one. Each case is a reported court decision. The name and citation appear on the reveal screen with a link to the source.
- What are the judge ranks?
- Every correct verdict scores points, harder cases score more, and streaks multiply. Points promote you from Rookie Judge up to Chief Justice.
- Can I replay old cases?
- Yes. The whole archive is free and open to everyone.
- Is there a Canadian version?
- Yes — GUILTY or NOT? CDN version is hosted on the Every Defence LLP website at everydefence.ca/guilty-or-not/. It's free and uses Canadian criminal cases.