Ballew v. Georgia
Encyclopedia
Ballew v. Georgia, 435 U.S. 223
(1978), was a case
heard by the United States Supreme Court that held that a Georgia
state statute
authorizing criminal conviction upon the unanimous vote of a jury
of five was unconstitutional. The constitutional minimum size for a jury hearing petty criminal offenses was held to be six.
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
(1978), was a case
Legal case
A legal case is a dispute between opposing parties resolved by a court, or by some equivalent legal process. A legal case may be either civil or criminal...
heard by the United States Supreme Court that held that a Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
state statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
authorizing criminal conviction upon the unanimous vote of a jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
of five was unconstitutional. The constitutional minimum size for a jury hearing petty criminal offenses was held to be six.