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54 Ind. 461

Allen v. State

Indiana Supreme Court

Decided November 15, 1876

Indiana Supreme Court · decided 1876-11-15

<p>CrimxnaIj Law.—Practice.—Trial by Less than Twelve Jurors.—The trial of a defendant in a criminal prosecution by a jury of less than twelve in number, with or without the consent of the defendant, is unauthorized by law and their verdict void.</p>

Relies on Brown v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1876-11-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 13 later decisions — most recently March 1978

13 state decisions

5018761880189019001910192019301940195019601970decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Worden, C. J.

¶1The appellant was indicted in the court below for the larceny of four chickens, of the value of thirty cents each.

¶2He was put upon trial before a jury, but during the progress of the cause two of the jurors were discharged by the consent of the defendant, and the remaining ten jurors returned a verdict of guilty, assessing the defendant’s punishment at a fine of five dollars, eighteen months’ *462imprisonment in the state-prison and disfranchisement for the period of five years.

¶3Judgment was rendered on the verdict.

¶4This judgment can not be maintained. The trial of a criminal cause by a jury consisting of a less number than twelve is unauthorized by law, and tbe verdict in such ease is void. Brown v. The State, 16 Ind. 496. See, also, Bill v. The People, 16 Mich. 851.

¶5The judgment is reversed, and tbe cause remanded for further proceedings.

¶6Tbe clerk will give the proper notice for tbe return of tbe prisoner.

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