08/27/2026
A potentially significant shift in Florida criminal law. ⚖️
With the U.S. Supreme Court considering Kian v. Florida, the future of six-person juries in noncapital criminal cases could be at stake. Defense attorneys across Florida are already taking steps to preserve the issue.
We’re watching closely. The right to a fair trial, and who gets to decide it, matters.
Anticipating a sea change in Florida’s criminal justice system, defense attorneys are flooding the courts with motions requesting 12-member juries, and prosecutors are beginning to go along, “out of an abundance of caution.”
The tide began rising two months ago when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Kian v. Florida, a South Florida chiropractor’s challenge to the state’s use of six-person juries in noncapital cases.
https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-news/six-person-jury-challenge-prompts-defense-lawyers-to-seek-12-member-panels/