Opinion ID: 537255
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Double Jeopardy and Mistrial

Text: 19 Goland's right to have the jury that was empaneled to try him reach a verdict is not absolute. See Wade v. Hunter, 336 U.S. 684, 689, 69 S.Ct. 834, 837, 93 L.Ed. 974 (1949) ([A] defendant's valued right to have his trial completed by a particular tribunal must in some instances be subordinated to the public's interest in fair trials designed to end in just judgments.). A defendant does not necessarily go free if the trial does not end in a final judgment, e.g., when a mistrial is declared. Id. at 688-89, 69 S.Ct. at 836-37. 20 In certain circumstances, the defendant does go free when a mistrial occurs, provided he neither requested nor consented to the mistrial. United States v. Dinitz, 424 U.S. 600, 606-08, 96 S.Ct. 1075, 1078-80, 47 L.Ed.2d 267 (1976); United States v. Jorn, 400 U.S. 470, 485, 91 S.Ct. 547, 557, 27 L.Ed.2d 543 (1971). However, if manifest necessity justifies a mistrial, even though neither requested nor consented to by the defendant, the defendant can be retried. See Arizona v. Washington, 434 U.S. 497, 505, 98 S.Ct. 824, 830, 54 L.Ed.2d 717 (1978); Wade, 336 U.S. at 689, 69 S.Ct. at 837; United States v. Perez, 22 U.S. (9 Wheat.) 579, 580, 6 L.Ed. 165 (1824). The classic case of manifest necessity occurs when a trial judge believes that the jury is unable to reach a verdict. Washington, 434 U.S. at 509, 98 S.Ct. at 832; see also Richardson v. United States, 468 U.S. 317, 324-26, 104 S.Ct. 3081, 3085-3087, 82 L.Ed.2d 242 (1984) (we have constantly adhered to the rule that a retrial following a 'hung jury' does not violate the Double Jeopardy Clause; a jury's failure to reach a verdict does not terminate jeopardy); Oregon v. Kennedy, 456 U.S. 667, 672, 102 S.Ct. 2083, 2087, 72 L.Ed.2d 416 (1982) (the hung jury is the prototypical example of manifest necessity). 21 To avoid the consequences of the obvious manifest necessity, Goland makes an unusual argument based on the peculiar sequence of events in this case. The error in bifurcating, in his view, caused the mistrial. Had the jury had before it the evidence that he contends would have come from the mouths of the other defendants' witnesses, he would have been acquitted; there would have been no mistrial and no manifest necessity to declare a mistrial and to discharge the jury. Under this argument, there is no need to consider whether Goland requested a mistrial. It is simply irrelevant. 22 We cannot subscribe to Goland's argument. Otherwise, any defendant who alleged that testimony or other materials had been excluded erroneously from evidence could make Goland's argument. A rule barring retrial any time a court commits this type of error would be unacceptable in light of society's interest in giving the prosecutor one full and fair opportunity to present his evidence to an impartial jury. Washington, 434 U.S. at 505, 98 S.Ct. at 830; see also Wade, 336 U.S. at 689, 69 S.Ct. at 837 (public has an interest in fair trials designed to end in just judgments). 23