History Main / RogueJuror

** One ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures'' story has Bruce Wayne selected to sit on the jury of a man whom he, as Batman, had arrested trying to kidnap a wealthy couple's baby. As the rest of the jury are taken in by the defendant's innocent act, he has to convince them that the defendant is actually ''guilty''. In an amusing moment, Bruce honestly answers a jury selection question about whether he is fit to sit on the jury by [[SarcasticConfession confessing]] that he is prejudiced about the case because he's actually Batman -- and after everyone stops laughing, the judge tells him to stop jerking around and take things seriously.

** On [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/MonkS2E9MrMonkAndTheTwelfthMan Mr. Monk and the 12th Man]], Monk deduces that the victims of a series of seemingly unrelated murders had all served on the same jury. As it tuns out, the suspect was being blackmailed by one of them. However, he didn't know which member of the jury it was, so he [[SerialKillingsSpecificTarget opted to kill everyone in the jury.]]

* On one episode of ''Series/QuincyME'', the titular character found himself on a jury in an apparently open and shut murder case and proceeded to annoy everyone by continually asking questions about the evidence (and deducing the real killer, of course). This also doubles as an ActorAllusion -- Jack Klugman (Quincy) starred as Juror #5 in the 1957 movie version of ''Film/TwelveAngryMen''.

%%* ''Series/{{Newhart}}'' took a turn with this plot too.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer votes "not guilty" just to deadlock the jury, because he's enticed by the notion of being sequestered in a free hotel room with free food, free HBO, a free swimming pool, and Film/FreeWilly. It's just coincidence that the defendant was actually innocent.

** There is an episode centered around this trope, except the trial was a focus group for the new bells-and-whistles lawnmower that would render Hank's lawnmower obsolete. Hank insists the focus group (including his neighbors and his dad) remain for the scheduled length as he convinces them that the new mower is junk.
** In another episode, Hank is a member of the city council because he objects to the new law that makes it illegal to install normal toilets in Arlen; it turns out that one of the other councilmen owns the company that makes low-flow toilets and got the law passed. The other councilmen have never used the new toilets, but since city hall has them installed, Hank pulls a filibuster until everyone needs to go to the bathroom and realizes that they're junk.

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad.'' One of [[JerkAss Roger]]'s personas is on trial and despite the fact that it's blatantly obvious that he did it, he uses his charm to try and KarmaHoudini his way out of it. In this case, Stan is the Rogue Juror, in that he sees right through Roger's act and is sick and tired of him weaseling his way out of being accountable for his actions. In the end, he gets the jury to convict, but '''everyone''', even the judge, is sobbing like a baby.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In the episode "12 and a Half Angry Men", a WholePlotReference to ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'', Mayor Adam West is on trial for murdering an aide that was planning to blackmail him, and despite Mayor West being covered in blood during a press conference and the knife used belonging to him, Brian votes not guilty. Eventually, he is able to convince everyone that Mayor West is innocent and he is exonerated. The episode's last scene reveals that West was in fact innocent and that the murder was the work of a serial killer. One that cuts the Griffins' power...

** Earlier in the 2nd season, a wealthy man was blackmailed by a rogue juror for killing his wife,got tired of being in thumbscrews, and decided to kill his blackmailer. However, he didn't know which member of the jury it was. so he opted to kill everyone in the jury.

* Played by ''Series/{{Castle}}'' in a case where a juror is poisoned; he's killed before deliberations start, but it's revealed that he managed to get himself placed on the jury in the first place in order so that he could act as one of these. [[spoiler:Specifically, he knows that the defendant didn't commit the crime because his brother was with the person who did at the time, but while he doesn't want to throw his brother to the wolves he can't in good conscience let an innocent man go to jail for it.]]

** The arc regarding Greg's AccidentalMurder of Demitrius James in the defense of a man he and a mob were beating up has Sanders trying to defend himself in court and, overall, what looked like an open-and-shut case (Greg saw the crowd, he tried to scare them off with his car, James tried to attack instead, he hit him with the car because he couldn't brake in time, it's all clear) turns into a circus of accusing Greg of alleged PoliceBrutality, racism and even the possibility of having been a DrunkDriver during the act (thus ending with the James family forming IrrationalHatred for cops in general and Greg in specific) because of a jackass juror that wishes "all of the facts being brought to light" and won't vote until he hears them (even interrupting testimonies to question the witnesses).

[[caption-width-right:345:Hazing the holdout, [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking quite literally so.]]]]

** ''Comicbook/BatmanAdventures'' once had Bruce Wayne selected to sit on the jury of a man whom he, as Batman, had arrested trying to kidnap a wealthy couple's baby. As the rest of the jury were taken in by the defendant's innocent act, he had to convince them that the defendant was actually ''guilty''. Contained an amusing moment where Bruce, honestly answering a jury selection question about whether he was fit to sit on the jury, [[SarcasticConfession confessed]] that he was prejudiced about the case because he was actually Batman — and after everyone stopped laughing, the judge told him to stop jerking around and take things seriously.
** The ''Comicbook/BatmanTomKing'' storyline "Cold Days" has Bruce, questioning himself in the wake of his aborted wedding, arrange to be on the jury for Mr Freeze's trial, where he's the only juror asking hard questions about Batman's involvement, and asking if being a supervillain is necessarily evidence that Freeze is guilty of this particular crime.

* A ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' story from the late '80s involved a jury deliberating over the fate of an accused criminal apprehended by Spider-Man. Making matters problematic is the holdout juror is Mary Jane Watson-Parker... Spider-Man's wife!

Sometimes another main character will also be on the jury, and will try to change the Rogue Juror's mind. More commonly, the Rogue Juror will manage to gradually bring the rest of the jurors around to his/her view. Occasionally this will be subverted with the acquitted defendant [[KarmaHoudini turning out to actually be guilty]], or perhaps with [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome the jury remaining deadlocked and forcing the case to a retrial]].

* One episode of ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey'' had Eugene on jury duty refusing to convict the defendant until after they discussed the evidence to be sure. The defendant is accused of breaking into a house and robbing its vault but claims that he only broke into the house to be admitted into a gang and they framed him for the robbery. The jury eventually agrees that he is telling the truth because he would not have had enough time to break into the vault during the times between when he was seen on the day the crime took place.

* Claire Greene was this in an episode of ''Promised Land'', wanting to acquit a young woman charged with criminally negligent homicide (her son had wandered out into the street while she was asleep and been hit by a car). With every argument she made, she managed to convince other jurors of the woman's innocence. Unusually for this trope, she turned out to be ''wrong''--only after the trial did she learn that the woman had been arrested for child endangerment ''three'' times prior to this incident and that contrary to the image she'd presented in court, she'd returned to the irresponsible behavior that led to her son's death and was now jeopardizing her daughter.

** Earlier in the 1st season, a guy was blackmailed by a rogue juror for killing his wife, but he didn't know who he was so he opted to kill everyone in the jury he was in.

* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in ''Film/TheRunawayJury'': the rogue juror's task was simply to make the other jurors follow their own predilections rather than actively changing their minds.

Sometimes another main character will also be on the jury, and will try to change the Rogue Juror's mind. More commonly, the Rogue Juror will manage to gradually bring the rest of the jurors around to his/her view. Occasionally this will be subverted with the acquitted defendant [[KarmaHoudini turning out to actually be guilty]], or with [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome the jury remaining deadlocked and forcing a retrial]].

Note that in real life, many jurisdictions do ''not'' require a unanimous jury verdict, either for conviction or acquittal. However, unanimity is a characteristic of the English judicial system and those of its former colonies such as the United States (although the modern UK and US don't always require it, either). Outside of those countries, a Rogue Juror's objection would be futile.

Sometimes another main character will also be on the jury, and will try to change the Rogue Juror's mind. More commonly, the Rogue Juror will manage to gradually bring the rest of the jurors around to his/her view. Occasionally this will be subverted by having the defendant turn out to actually be guilty.

Note that in real life, many jurisdictions do ''not'' require a unanimous jury verdict, either for conviction or acquittal. However, unanimity is a characteristic of the English judicial system and many of its former colonies such as the United States (although the modern UK and US don't always require it, either). Outside of those countries, a Rogue Juror's objection would be futile.

You've seen it a million times: a character is [[JuryDuty serving on a jury]] and is the lone person holding out for a "not guilty" verdict.

Note that in many jurisdictions, a unanimous jury verdict is not required either to convict or acquit. However, unanimity is a characteristic of the English judicial system and many of its former colonies such as the United States (the modern UK and US also don't always require it, though). Outside of those countries, a Rogue Juror's objection would be futile.