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A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.^[1]

Canada[link]

In Canada, the jury must reach a unanimous decision on criminal cases but not in civil cases.^[2] If the jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, a hung jury is declared. A new panel of jurors will be selected for the new trial.

United Kingdom[link]

England and Wales[link]

In England and Wales a majority of 10-2 is needed for a verdict; failure to reach this may lead to a retrial.

Initially, the jury will be directed to try to reach a unanimous verdict. If they fail to reach a unanimous verdict, the judge may later (after not less than two hours^[3]) give directions that a majority verdict will be acceptable, but still no less than ten to two, although the jury should continue to try to reach a unanimous verdict if possible.

When the jury are called to deliver a verdict after majority directions have been given, a careful protocol of questions is followed: only in the event of a guilty verdict is it then asked whether or not all jurors were agreed on that verdict. This is to ensure that any not-guilty verdict is not tainted by it being disclosed that any jurors dissented. This protocol is followed separately for each charge.^[4]

Scotland[link]

It is not possible to have a hung jury in Scotland in criminal cases. Juries consist of 15, and verdicts are decided by simple majority. If jurors drop out because of illness or another reason, the trial can continue with a minimum of 12 jurors, but the support of 8 jurors is still needed for a guilty verdict; anything less is treated as an acquittal.^[5]

In civil cases there is a jury of 12, with a minimum of 10 needed to continue the trial, here it is however possible to have a hung jury if there is a tied vote after three hours deliberation. ^[6]

United States[link]

In the United States, the result is a mistrial, and the case may be retried. Some jurisdictions permit the court to give the jury a so-called Allen charge, inviting the dissenting jurors to re-examine their opinions, as a last-ditch effort to prevent the jury from hanging. The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure state, "The verdict must be unanimous...If there are multiple defendants, the jury may return a verdict at any time during its deliberations as to any defendant about whom it has agreed...If the jury cannot agree on all counts as to any defendant, the jury may return a verdict on those counts on which it has agreed...If the jury cannot agree on a verdict on one or more counts, the court may declare a mistrial on those counts. A hung jury does not imply either the defendant's guilt or innocence. The government may retry any defendant on any count on which the jury could not agree."^[7]

Juries in criminal cases are generally, as a rule, required to reach a unanimous verdict, while juries in civil cases typically have to reach a majority on some level. If a defendant has been found guilty of a capital offense (one that, because of aggravating factors like rape during a premeditated murder, could result in the death penalty if the person is eligible - over 18 at the time of the offense and not intellectually disabled), then the opinion of the jury must be unanimous if the defendant is to be sentenced to death. Currently two states, Oregon and Louisiana, do not require unanimous verdicts in criminal cases. Each requires a 10-2 majority for conviction, exception for capital crimes : Oregon requires at least 11 votes and Louisiana requires unanimous verdict.

In jurisdictions giving those involved in the case a choice of jury size (such as between a six-person and twelve-person jury), defense counsel in both civil and criminal cases frequently opt for the larger number of jurors. A common axiom in criminal cases is that "it takes only one to hang," referring to the fact that, in some cases, a single juror can defeat the required unanimity.

One proposal for dealing with the difficulties associated with hung juries has been to introduce supermajority verdicts. This measure would allow juries to convict defendants without unanimous agreements amongst the jurors. Hence, a 12-member jury that would otherwise be deadlocked at 11 for conviction and 1 against, would be recorded as a guilty verdict for the defendant. The rationale for majority verdicts usually includes arguments involving so-called 'rogue jurors' who unreasonably impede the course of justice. Opponents of majority verdicts argue that it undermines public confidence in criminal justice systems and results in a higher number of individuals convicted of crimes they did not commit.

References[link]

Judge Reinhold
Reinhold at the 47th Emmy Awards (1994)
Born	Edward Ernest Reinhold, Jr. (1957-05-21) May 21, 1957 (age 55) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Carrie Frazier (1985–1986) Amy Miller (2000–present)

Judge Reinhold (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Ruthless People, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause trilogy.

Early life[link]

Reinhold was born Edward Ernest Reinhold, Jr. in Wilmington, Delaware, the son of Regina Celeste (née Fleming) and Edward Ernest Reinhold, Sr., a trial lawyer.^[1][2][3] He was raised in Fredericksburg, Virginia, until his family moved to Martin County, Florida, prior to his junior year in high school.^{[citation needed]}

Judge graduated from Martin County High School and went on to attend Mary Washington College and North Carolina School of the Arts,^{[citation needed]} after which he performed at various regional theatres, including Burt Reynolds' Dinner Theater in Jupiter, Florida.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Reinhold has appeared in more than 60 films. His first appearance on screen was in the Wonder Woman episode "Amazon Hot Wax" (1979), in which he played Jeff Gordon, a singer who gets caught up in an extortion ring in the music business.^{[citation needed]} Reinhold's first major film role was as high school senior Brad Hamilton in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) along with then-unknown actors Sean Penn, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nicolas Cage. He appeared in an uncredited role in Pat Benatar's music video for "Shadows of the Night." He later played Detective Billy Rosewood, the junior police detective sent to trail Eddie Murphy, in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), and in 1986, starred in Ruthless People.

Reinhold starred in the Canadian hard rock band Harem Scarem's 1992 music video "Honestly" as the male love interest.

In 1994, Reinhold appeared in Beverly Hills Cop III and The Santa Clause. He has reprised the role of Dr. Neil Miller for the Santa Clause sequels as well. Reinhold appeared as himself on two episodes of the third season of Arrested Development, headlining a fictional court TV show called Mock Trial with J. Reinhold.^{[citation needed]}

Reinhold was nominated for an Emmy for a role on Seinfeld in which he played the infamous "close talker" who developed an obsession with Jerry's parents. He has also been seen in Steven Spielberg's epic miniseries Into the West.

Reinhold was featured in the 2008 political satire Swing Vote.

Reinhold's first name has been the subject of comedy in both Clerks: The Animated Series and Arrested Development, both times with him playing himself appointed as a judge in a court of law. Additionally, the 2009 film Fanboys features Billy Dee Williams playing a judge named Reinhold.^[4]

Reinhold is credited as the whistler on the Martini Ranch song "Reach."^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Reinhold has worked with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Smart Moves program in his home town of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has also been involved in suicide prevention efforts for veterans in his wife's home state of Arkansas.^[5]. He also enjoys playing poker.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Judge Reinhold at the Internet Movie Database