What is the longest jury deliberation ever recorded?
Asked by: Donald Ullrich | Last update: May 28, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (12 votes)
The longest jury deliberation in U.S. history, according to Guinness World Records, was four and a half months (about 18 weeks) in a 1992 Long Beach, California, Fair Housing Act lawsuit, though a California insurance fraud case in 2003 reportedly involved a 167-day (over five months) deliberation; both are exceptionally long compared to the typical hours or days. These deliberations far exceed even lengthy criminal cases, with the McMartin Preschool trial's jury deliberating for nine weeks after years of testimony.
What's the longest time a jury deliberates?
The longest-known jury deliberation took place in Oakland, California. In 2003, a jury took a full 55 days to deliberate before acquitting three former Oakland police officers of the assault and false arrest of residents in the city's poorest neighborhoods.
What case had the longest jury deliberation?
Did you know the longest jury deliberation in U.S. history lasted 167 days? 😲 In 2003, jurors in a California insurance fraud case spent over five months weighing the evidence before reaching a verdict.
How long can a jury deliberate before hung?
In civil cases there is a jury of 12, with a minimum of 10 needed to continue the trial. It is possible to have a hung jury if there is a tied vote after three hours' deliberation.
What is the fastest jury deliberation ever recorded?
On 22 July 2004, Nicholas Clive McAllister (New Zealand) was acquitted of cultivating cannabis plants at a hearing that lasted just one minute at Greymouth District Court, Greymouth, West Coast, New Zealand The jury left to consider the verdict at 3.28pm and returned at 3.29 pm.
Jury deliberation takes unusual turn in Capobianco murder trial
Can a jury deliberate forever?
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.
What if I fall asleep during jury duty?
If you fall asleep during jury duty, a court officer or the judge will likely wake you up, and you could be dismissed from the jury for inattentiveness, potentially leading to a mistrial if you miss crucial evidence, though minor dozing might just result in a warning, while repeated sleeping is grounds for removal and requires a judge to decide if the trial fairness was compromised.
Can a jury go home during deliberations?
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.
Does a hung jury mean you go free?
After a Hung Jury: Mistrials
When a trial ends with a hung jury, the judge will declare a mistrial because the jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. In a criminal case, this means the trial ends without a conviction and the defendant remains legally innocent.
What if all 12 jurors don't agree?
In both civil and criminal trials, if the jury can't agree on a verdict, they report back to the judge. If the judge feels the jury has not deliberated long enough, they will keep trying. A "hung jury" occurs when the jury is hopelessly deadlocked.
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's the longest a jury has been sequestered?
Jurors on the O.J. Simpson case were sequestered for 265 days in 1995 — the longest jury sequestration in U.S. history — at a cost of nearly $2 million, according to the Public Law Research Institute.
What does it mean if a jury takes long to deliberate?
Jury deliberations can last for minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months. Factors that can influence the length of deliberations include the seriousness of the charges, the number of witnesses and exhibits, and the personalities of the jurors.
Can jurors talk to each other before deliberation?
To ensure fairness, you must obey the following rules: 1. Do not talk to each other about this case, or about anyone involved with this case, until the end of the trial when you go to the jury room to decide on your verdict.
How long were OJ Simpson jurors sequestered?
Jury Sequestration Is Not Common
Keep in mind that jury trials do not typically last as long as those we see on TV. For example, jurors in the OJ Simpson trial were sequestered for nine months.
What happens if a juror dies during deliberation?
If at any time prior to a verdict being rendered, any juror dies, becomes incapacitated or disqualified, or is discharged for any other reason, an alternate juror becomes a juror, in the order in which selected, and serves in all respects as those selected on the regular trial panel.
Do you have to stay in a hotel during jury duty?
If you are selected as a juror, you will be authorized to stay in a hotel or with family and/or friends during the duration of the trial. We encourage you to bring enough clothing for the week in case you are selected to serve as a juror on a trial.
Can you pee during jury duty?
Excuse me, we need to take a bathroom break. Is that okay? The judge will allow them to take a bathroom break. There's nothing wrong with that.
Who would most likely be dismissed as a juror?
People most likely to be dismissed from jury duty are those with hardships (financial, medical, family caregiving), legal disqualifications (non-citizen, felon, non-English speaker), or those who show clear bias or inability to be impartial during questioning, often related to personal experiences with the justice system or specific case types. Lawyers use strikes to remove jurors who seem to favor one side or can't follow the law, while courts excuse others for significant burdens like being a primary caregiver or elderly.
What if one juror disagrees?
If one juror disagrees in a criminal case requiring unanimity, it leads to a hung jury (or deadlocked jury), resulting in a mistrial, meaning no verdict is reached, and the prosecution must decide whether to retry the case with a new jury, offer a plea deal, or drop charges. In civil cases, rules vary, but often a non-unanimous verdict is allowed, so one dissenter might not stop a decision, though a full deadlock still causes a mistrial.
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's the longest jury duty can last?
Most jury trials last 3 - 7 days, but some may go longer. The trial judge will advise you of the length of the trial. If you are assigned to a case, you will be required to serve until the trial is completed. Generally, if you are not selected for a trial, your jury service will be completed in one day.