Crawford v. Fenton

OPINION OF THE COURT

GARTH, Circuit Judge.

■ After three days of deliberation, the jury found defendant Rooks Edward Crawford guilty of conspiring to violate the narcotics laws of New Jersey. The state trial judge, however, believing that the jury’s answers to special interrogatories were inconsistent with the guilty verdict, ordered the jury to continue its deliberations. After a day of further deliberation the jury, displaying confusion, asked to be released. The trial judge declared a mistrial over the defendants’ objections, holding that there was a manifest necessity to do so.

On federal…