Published: 03:42 BST, 5 September 2026 | Updated: 04:54 BST, 5 September 2026

Such opinions reveal a misunderstanding of the US legal system.

The outcome of the Clancy trial is justice in practice, even if some are not satisfied by it.

On Friday, Judge William Sullivan thanked and discharged the Massachusetts jury of nine women and three men, declaring them 'deadlocked,' unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the five-week trial of a 36-year-old mother charged with the premeditated murder of her three children.

The jury had claimed three times to be at an impasse. In each instance, Judge Sullivan instructed them to continue their deliberations. But after 35 hours stretching over three days, the judge was left with no other legal alternative than to call a mistrial.

This was a hung jury. Clancy was not found to be either guilty or not guilty. She may now be tried again.

It is important to recognize that a mistrial does not constitute a failure of the jury system. Hung juries have existed for centuries. They generally occur when the public is deeply divided over the guilt or innocence of a defendant, as they clearly are in this case.

A hung jury may well reflect the complex feelings of society in general – and the legal issues under consideration here were far from clear cut.

On Friday, Judge William Sullivan thanked and discharged the Massachusetts jury of nine women and three men, declaring them 'deadlocked' in Lindsay Clancy's trial

For too many, the mistrial in the case looks to be a travesty of justice and makes her lawyer Kevin Reddington the villainous defender of a baby killer