When the jury have agreed upon their verdict, they must be conducted into court, their names called by the clerk, and the verdict rendered by the foreman. When the verdict is announced, either party may require the jury to be polled, which is done by the clerk asking each juror if it is his verdict. If any one answer in the negative, the jury must again be sent out for further deliberation.
§ 25-1124.Rendition of verdict; polling of jury.
Article 11: Trial · Not amended since original codification · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceWhen a jury reaches a verdict, they return to the courtroom, the clerk calls their names and the foreman announces the verdict, and either party may then require the jury to be polled — asked one by one whether it is their verdict — with a single dissenting answer sending the jury back to deliberate.
Full Text of § 25-1124
Source
R.S.1867, Code § 290, p. 443; R.S.1913, § 7863; C.S.1922, § 8807; C.S.1929, § 20-1124; R.S.1943, § 25-1124.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-1124 describes the return of a verdict from the jury room to the courtroom. Once the jurors have agreed, they are conducted back into court, the clerk calls their names to confirm everyone is present, and the foreman renders the verdict.
From there, either party has the right to ask that the jury be polled. Polling means the clerk asks each juror, individually, whether the announced verdict is in fact that juror’s verdict. It is a direct, juror-by-juror check that goes beyond the foreman’s announcement and beyond the general inquiry described in section 25-1123.
If even one juror answers no, the statute requires the jury to be sent out again for further deliberation. A single dissenting answer during polling is enough to stop the verdict from becoming final, distinct from the five-sixths threshold in section 25-1125 that governs how many jurors need to agree in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to poll a jury?
Polling is the clerk asking each juror individually whether the verdict just announced is that juror’s verdict, under section 25-1124.
Who can request that the jury be polled?
Either party may require the jury to be polled after the verdict is announced.
What happens if one juror says no during polling?
The jury must be sent out again for further deliberation if any juror answers in the negative.
Who announces the verdict when the jury returns to the courtroom?
The foreman renders the verdict after the clerk calls the jurors’ names.
Is polling the same thing as the clerk reading the verdict back to the jury under section 25-1123?
No. Section 25-1123’s reading-back is a general check that applies whether or not a party asks for a poll; polling under this section is a juror-by-juror inquiry that happens only when a party requires it.
Does polling apply only to unanimous verdicts?
The statute does not limit polling to unanimous verdicts; it applies to the verdict as rendered, including a verdict reached under the five-sixths procedure in section 25-1125.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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