Philadelphia, Pa., Jan 27, 2023 / 17:48 pm
The jury deciding the fate of pro-life activist Mark Houck could not come to a decision Friday on whether the Catholic father of seven broke a federal law in a shoving incident outside a Philadelphia abortion clinic in 2021.
U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert entered the courtroom around 5 p.m., almost two and a half hours after he sent the jury out for deliberation, and said that he received a note from the foreman that said, “Your honor at this point we are deadlocked. How long should we continue to deliberate?”
Pappert called the jury in and asked the foreman if he thought, with more time, the jury could come to a decision.
The foreman said no, but Pappert sent the jury home with instructions to return to court and resume their deliberations Monday morning.