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Hung Jury for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: həŋ_'dʒʊri

What does Hung Jury really mean?

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Hey there! I'm here to help you understand what "hung jury" means. Let's dive right in!

So, have you ever watched a game of tug-of-war? It's when two teams are pulling on a rope from opposite ends, right? Well, imagine a similar situation, but in a courtroom. Instead of a rope, you have a group of people who need to come to a decision, just like those two teams. This group of people is called a jury, and their job is to listen to all the evidence in a trial and decide whether someone is guilty or not guilty.

Now, in some cases, when the jury is considering a verdict, they might not all agree on the final decision. They might be evenly split, like two teams pulling the rope with equal strength, unable to reach a unanimous decision. That's when we use the term "hung jury."

So, what happens when there's a hung jury? Well, it means that the jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict, as required by the law. In other words, they are "stuck" and cannot make a final decision whether the person on trial is guilty or not guilty.

You can think of a hung jury as a bit like a tiebreaker in a game. Imagine if both teams in a tug-of-war were pulling with equal power, but no team was able to pull the other across a line in the middle. They would be "stuck" there, right? Similarly, when a jury is hung, it means they are stuck and unable to reach a conclusion.

Now, sometimes, a hung jury might result in the case being declared a mistrial. This means that the trial has to start over from the beginning with a new jury. In other cases, the judge might ask the jury to keep deliberating, hoping that they might eventually reach a unanimous decision. So, a hung jury brings uncertainty and delays in the legal process.

So, to sum it all up, "hung jury" simply means that the members of the jury couldn't agree on a verdict, just like two teams in a tug-of-war unable to overpower each other. It's like being "stuck" at a crossroads where no one can move forward or backward. Hope this makes it clear for you!

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I'm here to help!


Revised and Fact checked by Olivia Brown on 2023-10-29 10:38:07

Hung Jury In a sentece

Learn how to use Hung Jury inside a sentece

  • In a murder trial, the jury couldn't agree on whether the defendant was guilty or not guilty, so it was a hung jury.
  • During the trial, the jury members had different opinions and couldn't come to a unanimous decision, resulting in a hung jury.
  • In a robbery case, the jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict, leading to a hung jury.
  • The jury deliberated for days but couldn't make a final decision, resulting in a hung jury.
  • In a high-profile corruption trial, the jury was deadlocked and couldn't reach a unanimous vote, leading to a hung jury.

Hung Jury Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.

jury

Hung Jury Category

The domain category to which the original word belongs.

jurisprudence law