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North Carolina Court Says It’s OK to Swap Jurors While They Are Deliberating
- North Carolina's highest court upheld Eric Ramond Chambers' 2022 murder conviction despite a juror substitution during deliberations.
- This followed a 2021 state law allowing an alternate juror to replace an original juror after deliberations start if the jury restarts deliberations, which conflicted with a prior appeals court ruling.
- The judge substituted an alternate juror due to a medical appointment, instructed the jury to restart deliberations, and the 12-member jury reached a unanimous verdict by midday.
- Chief Justice Paul Newby wrote that the 2021 law preserves the twelve-juror requirement and nullifies earlier deliberations, while dissenting Justice Allison Riggs argued the law is unconstitutional and that the original juror's presence may have affected the verdict.
- The Supreme Court's 5-2 decision reverses the appeals court and implies that juror substitutions during deliberations are lawful if the jury restarts deliberations, potentially affecting future jury procedures.
12 Articles
12 Articles
North Carolina court says it’s OK to swap jurors while they are deliberating
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s highest court on Friday left intact a murder conviction that a lower appeals court had thrown out on the grounds that a jury shake-up during deliberations violated the defendant’s rights and required a new trial. By a 5-2 decision, the state Supreme Court reversed last year’s decision of a state Court of Appeals panel that had sided with Eric Ramond Chambers, who has been serving a sentence of life in prison…
North Carolina court says it's OK to swap jurors while they are deliberating
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina's highest court on Friday left intact a murder conviction that a lower appeals court had thrown out on the grounds that a jury shake-up during deliberations violated the defendant's rights and required a new trial.
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