In some (not all) states provisions are made for conducting trials for certain lesser offenses (misdemeanor offenses - civil cases - traffic cases - etc) with either fewer than 12 jurors, or for verdicts that are less than unanimous. In some states minor offenses can be tried with as few as seven jurors, and the verdicts do not necessarily have to be unanimous (e.g.: 5 out of 7 vote guilty, or 8 our of 12 vote guilty). It is a way to shorten the trial process and reduce the strain on the jury pool. However - in capital cases and/or for serious offenses (felonies) the jury will usually always consist of 12 jurors and the verdict must be unanimous.
A majority verdict is a decision made by a jury in which most of the jurors agree on a verdict. It does not necessarily require a unanimous decision, instead requiring a specified number or percentage of jurors to be in agreement. Majority verdicts are used in some legal systems to reach a conclusion in a trial.
In a criminal trial, the jury's verdict must be unanimous in order to convict the defendant of guilt. If the jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, it results in a hung jury and could lead to a mistrial.
No. Civil is majority must agree.
A hung jury is unable to reach unanimity on a verdict.
It varies in different jurisdictions. In some states, the jury foreperson reads the verdict, in others the court clerk reads the verdict, and in still others, the judge reads the verdict.
In civil cases, a verdict may be reached by a majority of nine of the twelve members.
An unanimous verdict is when all members of a jury or group reach an agreement on a decision or outcome. It means that everyone involved is in complete accord and there are no dissenting opinions. It is often required in legal proceedings for a verdict to be reached.
It has to be a unanimous decision - or - a majority of at least 10 people agreeing to the verdict.
The decision of the jury is called a verdict. The decision of a judge is called her ruling or holding.
This is called a hung jury.
Polling the jury is a process that can occur after a jury has returned a verdict, to verify that the result read in court was the decision actually reached by the jurors, either unanimously or by majority vote. Either the prosecuting attorney or the defense attorney can request that the jury be polled. The process involves the judge asking each individual juror if they are in agreement with the verdict.
1.The judge asked for the verdict from the jury.2.The judge was going to ask for the verdict from the jury.