The trial is estimated to take as long as one year. What happens if a juror becomes ill during the trial?
There will be a complete jury of 12 people to hear the case once the trial gets underway. There will inevitably be short delays during such a lengthy trial to accommodate any juror’s health concerns. However, if the illness is severe, that juror may have to be excused from the case. If more than two members of the jury have to be excused, the judge will have no choice but to declare a mistrial and the trial has to re-commence with a brand new jury. Ritchie has publicly called for future reform of the jury system that would introduce an American-style jury with alternates ready to replace any excused juror.
