9.2.10 Inconsistent Verdicts

• Library: Criminal Procedure in Practice (ABA) (2018 Ed.)

9.2.10 Inconsistent Verdicts

Juries confronted with multiple issues or defendants are often required to return multiple verdicts. Sometimes the jury returns verdicts that appear inconsistent with each other. The Supreme Court has regularly held that consistency is not necessary.⁴⁷

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Notes:

^[47] . Dunn v. United States, 284 U.S. 390, 393 (1932). As stated in United States v. Powell, 469 U.S. 57, 69 (1984), "[T]here is no reason to vacate respondent's conviction merely because the verdicts cannot...