Harris v. State

Summary

The court held that the lower courts applied incorrect legal standards in evaluating Harris’s claim that jurors obtained extrajudicial information about the severity and potential punishment of the charges. A finding of juror misconduct with the potential to harm the defendant triggers a presumption of prejudice, and the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the misconduct did not contribute to the conviction. The court vacated the Court of Appeals’ judgment and remanded for the trial court to reconsider the motion for new trial under those standards.