§ 917 Several defendants - Verdict as to part - Retrial as to defendants not agreed on.

When several people are charged together in the same case, sometimes the jury can agree on a verdict for some of the defendants but not others. This rule says the jury does not have to reach a decision on everyone at the same time.

If the jury agrees on a verdict for some defendants, the court can accept that verdict and enter judgment for those people right away. It does not matter that the jury is stuck on the others. Those cases move forward as usual, whether that means a conviction or an acquittal.

For the defendants the jury could not agree on, the case is not over. Their charges get set for a new trial in front of a different jury. This lets the court resolve the parts of the case that reached a clear decision, while giving the undecided defendants a fair chance at a new trial instead of forcing a mistrial for everyone involved.