Sounds like one juror may be refusing to deliberate further ...not sure.
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I have to say - I really admire the foreman for making every single effort to get a verdict, especially since it's Friday afternoon and everyone probably wants to go home.
Good for her.
If a juror refuses, can they be dismissed? (Thanks for helping to clarify things for me, everyone <3)
They dismissed the alternates before deliberation started.
Yes, refusing to deliberate can get a juror dismissed- at least in theory.
But.... I think dismissals for this are rare because if there is a conviction, appellate attorneys will claim that a pro defendant juror was unfairly removed as they were willing to deliberate, but were just not willing to agree to a conviction.
If the juror is dismissed, an alternative juror will be used. I believe they always seat 12 jurors and 2 alternates in these types of trials.
Thanks for clearing that up for me, and it makes total sense. It would be pretty subjective.