Jury Verdict facts

While investigating facts about Jury Verdict Reporter and Jury Verdict Research, I found out little known, but curios details like:

A convicted murderer was once granted a retrial after it was discovered that four members of the jury used a Ouija board to contact the victim before rendering their verdict.

how does a jury reach a verdict?

A convicted murderer was once granted a retrial after it was discovered that four members of the jury used a Ouija board to contact the victim before rendering their verdict.

What is unusual about how long it takes the jury to reach a verdict?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what happens if a jury cannot agree on a verdict. Here are 19 of the best facts about Jury Verdicts Northwest and Jury Verdict Search I managed to collect.

what jury's verdict?

1. Jurors can legally return a 'not guilty' verdict if they believe the law is unjust regardless of whether or not the defendant actually committed the crime through a process called 'jury nullification' but judges rarely inform juries of this power.

2. A Lake County coroner's jury ruled that the death of a patient who waited nearly two hours in the waiting area of a hospital ER was homocide. The jury's verdict stated that although the cause of death was a heart attack, she also died "as a result of gross deviations from the standard of care"

3. In the state of New Hampshire, defense attorneys are legally entitled to inform juries of their right to return a not guilty verdict even when they believe a defendant is guilty, otherwise known as Jury Nullification

4. In criminal trials under Scots Law, they have a verdict that is either "guilty" or "not proven" (compared to "guilty" or "not guilty" in the US system). This shift in wording is monumental when a jury is involved.

5. Contrary to conventional wisdom, unanimous jury verdicts have a greater probability of convicting the innocent than simple majority rule.

6. The jury trials in the State of Louisiana does not require a unanimous decision. Guilty verdicts can be reached with just 10 / 12 jurors.

7. In 1987 the SCOTUS upheld a jury verdict despite proof jurors drank pitchers of beers, drank liters of wine, used cocaine and marijuana during the deliberations.

8. An American jury once decided a case after consuming copious amounts of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine, yet the Supreme Court refused to overturn the verdict.

9. In United States v. Watts, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that a jury’s verdict of acquittal does not preclude a sentencing court from considering the acquitted conduct in sentencing the defendant

10. In the United States jury nullification occurs when a jury in a criminal case reaches a verdict contrary to the weight of evidence, sometimes because of a disagreement with the relevant law.

Why should jury verdicts be unanimous?

You can easily fact check why are jury verdicts unanimous by examining the linked well-known sources.

Louisiana and Oregon are the only 2 states that don't require a unanimous jury verdict to convict a defendant in a criminal case

The play "Night of January 16th": it depicts a trial, and audience members are chosen to act as the jury. The ending depends on their verdict. - source

American juries can ignore a law and acquit the defendant in criminal cases regardless of how strong the prosecution's evidence is. This is known as "jury nullification" and the jurors can never be punished for the verdict they return. - source

The Jury's verdict in the investigation of the death of Princess Diana found it was an"Unlawful killing attributed by following vehicles" - Despite this the media still reported the accident was caused by the paparazzi.

April 21st, 2004 marks the day Michael Jackson was indicted by a grand jury after they found there was sufficient evidence to bring charges against him for molestation. The trial ended on June 13, 2005, when the jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict on all fourteen charges. - source

What happens when a jury cannot reach a verdict?

A judge can completely ignore a jury verdict, and issue her/his own ruling (thanks Arrow.)

What is unusual about how long it takes the jury to reach a verdict?

The opposite of a Grand Jury is a Petit Jury; the jury that decides the verdict in cases.