deadlocked jury

A deadlocked jury is a jury that, despite honest attempts, is unable to reach a verdict by the required voting margin, resulting in a mistrial . Deadlocked jury is also known as a hung jury . Often, a deadlocked jury will lead to a retrial of the case. Judges do their best to avoid deadlocked juries, typically by sending juries back into further deliberations . This direction is commonly known as a dynamite charge . If a verdict still cannot be delivered, at some point the judge will declare a mistrial due to the deadlocked jury.

[Last reviewed in August of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team ]

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