High court rejects appeal over divided jury

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a defendant who was convicted of attempted murder in Louisiana by a jury's 10-2 vote.

The justices acted without comment Tuesday in turning down a plea from Troy Barbour to require juries in all criminal trials to reach unanimous verdicts to convict. Two states, Louisiana and Oregon, allow defendants to be convicted of most crimes despite disagreement among jurors.

Those states rely on a nearly 40-year-old Supreme Court ruling that mandates unanimous verdicts in federal, but not state, criminal trials.