In NY, what are the jury size and unanimity requirements for a criminal trial?

• A. 12 jurors; unanimous
• B. 11 jurors; majority
• C. 12 jurors; nonunanimous
• D. 6 jurors; unanimous

Answer: (A)

In New York, criminal trials are decided by a 12-person jury, and the verdict must be unanimous. This means every juror must agree on guilt or innocence before a conviction can be entered. The 12-member panel and the requirement of unanimity protect against a single or a small minority swaying a conviction and reflect the constitutional standard that a defendant should be judged by a full, consensus-based jury.

If the jury cannot reach a unanimous decision after deliberation, the result is a hung jury, and prosecutors may retry the case or, in some circumstances, dismiss. Recent authority from Ramos v. Louisiana confirms that state criminal trials must have unanimous verdicts, aligning state practice with the federal standard.