How long do most jury deliberations last?
Asked by: Prof. Julia Gulgowski | Last update: June 10, 2026Score: 4.6/5 (39 votes)
Jury deliberation times vary dramatically, ranging from minutes to days, weeks, or even months, as there's no set limit and it depends entirely on the case's complexity, the jury's agreement, and the evidence presented. While some juries reach verdicts quickly (like the O.J. Simpson case in under four hours), others struggle for days or weeks, sometimes resulting in a hung jury if they can't agree.
How long can jury deliberations take?
In most state and federal courts, juries must reach a unanimous decision. In other words, every single juror must agree with the decision. Since the verdict must be unanimous, there is no set time limit on jury deliberation.
What is the shortest time a jury has deliberated?
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the shortest jury deliberation ever is one minute. On July 22, 2004, a New Zealand jury took one minute to acquit a defendant charged with cultivating cannabis plants.
How long did the jury deliberate for OJ Simpson?
After 8 months of trial, 100 witnesses, over 45,000 pages of court transcripts, the jurors deliberated for 4.5 hours and found Simpson not guilty of murdering Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.
What trial had the longest jury deliberation?
In a 1992 lawsuit in Long Beach, California, USA, which took 11 years and 6 months to get to trial, Shirley and Jason McClure accused city officials of violating the US Fair Housing Act by conspiring to prevent them from opening a chain of residential homes.
How Long Does Jury Deliberation Take For A Verdict? - Criminal Defense Law Uncovered
Do jurors deliberate all night?
Each day, the jurors will start their deliberations and continue deliberating throughout the day. At night, they will then retire and resume the next day if they have not reached a verdict. In reality, the jury has to go back and decide who is responsible for what happened to you.
What if all 12 jurors don't agree?
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."
Why didn't OJS gloves fit?
The bloody leather gloves didn't fit O.J. Simpson during his murder trial primarily because he wore latex gloves underneath, the gloves had shrunk from being soaked in blood and drying, and he may have intentionally swollen his hands by skipping arthritis medication, all contributing to the iconic "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" moment that swayed the jury.
Do any OJ jurors regret?
O.J. Simpson jurors' feelings about their "not guilty" verdict are mixed, with some, like Yolanda Crawford, remaining comfortable with the decision due to "reasonable doubt" created by police misconduct (especially Mark Fuhrman's perjury and racism) and mishandling of evidence, while others have expressed regret, with some feeling they let a murderer go free due to the Rodney King case's influence or errors like the glove demonstration, though some jurors deny the King case played a role in deliberations.
What did OJ whisper after his verdict?
After his 1995 acquittal, O.J. Simpson whispered to his lawyer, Robert Shapiro, "You had told me this would be the result from the beginning. You were right". This comment confirmed Shapiro's initial belief that the legal strategy would lead to an acquittal, despite the evidence presented against Simpson in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
Can a jury go home during deliberation?
Usually jurors go home at the end of each day and return the next morning. However, in extremely rare cases, a jury will be "sequestered" during the trial or during the jury deliberations.
How often do jurors get bathroom breaks?
In the court where I worked, the typical breaks for jury trial would be one midmorning break, a break for lunch, and a mid-afternoon break. Something like 10:30, 12, 3. The judge would try to accommodate medical issues, but he would try to fit a needed extra break in the flow of testimony.
What was the fastest not guilty verdict?
The fastest jury verdict on record lasted just 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲. In 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟰, Nicholas Clive McAllister of New Zealand was acquitted of cultivating cannabis plants after a jury deliberated for only 𝟲𝟬 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀—barely enough time to take their seats. Despite running from police, the jury found the evidence too weak to convict.
How long can jury deliberations go?
How Long are Jury Deliberations? There is no set time limit for jury deliberations. Once testimony has concluded and the jury has been given the charge – the judge's written instructions on the law – the ball is in the jury's court.
Did Robert Kardashian think OJ was innocent?
The Kardashian family had divided opinions on O.J. Simpson's innocence, with Robert Kardashian initially believing it and joining the defense, while Kris Jenner felt he was guilty; later, Robert expressed significant doubts, especially about the blood evidence, and Caitlyn Jenner also claimed Robert confessed guilt before his death, though Kim Kardashian always supported her father's belief in Simpson.
Did Nicole open the door with a knife?
Simpson said, "If she hadn't opened that door with a knife in her hand... she'd still be alive." Gilbert said that this confirmed his belief that Simpson had confessed.
Was O.J. Simpson's DNA found on the glove?
A total of ten DNA samples were collected from the glove found on Simpson's property with matches to Simpson, Brown, and Goldman. The victims' blood on that glove wasn't incriminating but Simpson's blood on that glove was so the defense only disputed that sample.
Did Bob Shapiro try on the gloves?
"I tried the glove on. It was a little bit wide in my palm and a little bit long in my fingers," Shapiro told Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. "O.J. Simpson has enormous hands, and I knew that the glove would not fit him.
Where are the O.J. Simpson gloves now?
The infamous bloody gloves from the O.J. Simpson trial are still preserved as crucial evidence in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's evidence locker, guarded for decades as a key piece of the murder case that ended in acquittal, with the defense famously using the "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" line after Simpson struggled to put them on, though they had likely shrunk from being blood-soaked and frozen, according to People.com and this YouTube video.
What happens if only one juror says not guilty?
There is no requirement that jurors must come to a unanimous verdict. If the jury cannot unanimously agree on a verdict of either Guilty or Not Guilty, this is known as a hung jury. When further deliberation clearly will be unproductive, the judge will declare a mistrial.
Why does juror 3 vote not guilty?
Juror 3 had apparently been harboring some negative feelings about his son's generation. Juror 3 changed his vote after realizing that all of his anger toward the defendant was a direct result of his bad relationship with his son.