A bill to eliminate the requirement for unanimous verdicts in Federal court.

[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1426 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1426

 To eliminate the requirement for unanimous verdicts in Federal court.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 27, 1995

Mr. Thurmond (for himself and Mr. Craig) introduced the following bill;
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To eliminate the requirement for unanimous verdicts in Federal court.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT OF FEDERAL RULES OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE.

    Rule 31(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure is amended by
striking ``unanimous'' and inserting ``by five-sixths of the jury''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF FEDERAL RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE.

    Rule 48 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is amended--
            (1) by inserting after the first sentence the following:
        ``The verdict shall be by five-sixths of the jury.''; and
            (2) in the last sentence, by striking ``(1) the verdict
        shall be unanimous and (2)''.
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