Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1813

Commonwealth v. Bowden

Commonwealth v. Bowden
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · Decided March 15, 1813
9 Mass. 494

Commonwealth v. Bowden

Opinion of the Court

* By the Court.

The ancient strictness of the law upon this subject has very much abated in the English courts; nor would it be consistent with the genius of our government or laws to use compulsory means to effect an agreement among jurors. The practice of withdrawing a juror, where there existed no prospect of a verdict, has frequently been adopted at criminal trials in this Court, and the exception taken in this case cannot prevail.

The defendant took nothing by his motion.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.