The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether states can use juries made up of only six people in criminal cases, instead of the usual 12. The case involves a Florida chiropractor, Hamed Kian, who was convicted of practicing with a suspended license by a six-person jury.

Constitutional Rights at Stake

Kian’s lawyers argue that the smaller jury violates his constitutional rights under the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury. They contend that the word ‘jury’ could only have meant a body of 12 people at the time the amendment was adopted in 1791.

Florida uses six-person juries for all criminal cases that don’t involve the death penalty. Five other states, Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Utah, also conduct some criminal trials with six-member juries.

The case has implications for thousands of criminal convictions in Florida and other states that have relied on six-person juries for over 50 years. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the fall.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.