Category: Thirteenth Juror
Accuracy of Thirteenth Juror Ruling is Not Reviewable
The concept of the “thirteenth juror” rule in Tennessee criminal law refers to the trial court judge’s responsibility to consider the weight of the evidence from a criminal trial after the jury has returned a guilty verdict. If the judge then disagrees that the weight of the evidence supports that guilty verdict, the judge, as
Court Clarifies Thirteenth Juror Review for Successor Judges
The ‘thirteenth juror’ role of a trial judge in Tennessee has garnered attention in the legal community in the aftermath of the 2011 resignation of a prominent Knoxville trial judge and the subsequent retrial of some high profile cases based upon interpretation of thirteenth juror rule requirements. The rule in Tennessee simply requires that trial