In Australian law, if a juror is asked during selection whether they will follow the judge’s instructions on the law and they answer “yes,” but internally they already intend to ignore the law in certain cases for moral reasons, is that legally an issue (e.g. contempt or anything similar) with no external evidence of that intention?
Also, if that juror later effectively “nullifies” by returning a not guilty verdict against the weight of the evidence, can they face any legal consequences? I understand returning a guilty verdict can be treated differently in this case, is that correct?
Finally, can Australian courts ever investigate a juror’s reasoning after a verdict, or is jury deliberation completely protected unless there is external misconduct like the US system? If so what will that process look like?
Thanks.