Can statements of a trial judge amount to coercion of a verdict?
California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Martinez, B242591 (Cal. App. 2013):
"Whether statements of a trial judge amount to coercion of a verdict is peculiarly dependent upon the facts of each case." (People v. Burton (1961) 55 Cal.2d 328, 356, abrogated on another point by People v. Brown (1994) 8 Cal.4th 746, 748-750, 762-763.) "The basic question . . . is whether the remarks of the court, viewed in the totality of applicable circumstances, operate to displace the independent judgment of the jury in
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