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 updated in August of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]