Context:

During Harvey Weinstein's retrial in Manhattan on sex crime charges, a juror reported misconduct among peers, claiming a 'shunning' of another juror. Despite the report, the judge denied a mistrial motion as the discussions did not involve trial evidence. Weinstein's previous convictions in Manhattan and Los Angeles have been pivotal for the #MeToo movement, and his Manhattan conviction was overturned, leading to this retrial. Jury deliberations have faced complications, including a juror's illness and the subsequent dismissal of alternates, putting pressure on the current jury. As tensions rose among jurors, deliberations were paused for the weekend, with the trial set to continue despite the internal conflicts reported by the juror.

Dive Deeper:

• A young male juror reported overhearing conversations among fellow jurors about another member, which he perceived as misconduct, leading to his request to be dismissed from the panel.

• The judge overseeing the trial, Justice Curtis Farber, denied a motion for a mistrial, stating that the reported discussions did not pertain to trial evidence and no threat was reported.

• The retrial follows the overturning of Weinstein's 2020 conviction in New York, with a new criminal sexual act charge added, and jury selection began in April.

• Deliberations have been challenging, with a juror falling ill and being replaced by an alternate, while the remaining alternates were dismissed, an unusual move given the potential need for replacements.

• The young juror, described by Weinstein's defense as 'meek', expressed discomfort with the jury dynamics but was told by the judge that there was no legal basis for his dismissal from the jury.

• Weinstein, who is appealing his Los Angeles conviction, sat in court visibly distressed, as jurors requested trial transcripts to be read aloud during deliberations.

• The jury, showing signs of fatigue and tension, requested to end deliberations for the day and were dismissed for the weekend to resume discussions later.