Ninth Circuit Vacates Murder Conviction in Le Case Over Juror's Mental Health Crisis
A shooting and drowning nearly three miles off the California coast sends the Ninth Circuit on a 200-year tour of federal maritime jurisdiction. The takeaway: Uncle Sam can prosecute murder on the high seas. But the conviction couldn't stay afloat. The district court improperly dismissed a holdout juror whose mental health crisis stemmed from pressure by fellow jurors to reach a verdict in the 12-day trial with three days of deliberations.