Corrine Brown's lawyers file motion for new trial, acquittal

Attorneys for former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown have filed a motion for a new trial.

Their argument centers around that juror who was dismissed during deliberations.

During deliberations, Juror No. 13 made comments about the Holy Spirit telling him Brown was not guilty.

The judge viewed the Holy Spirit as an "external force" influencing the juror's decision making and Juror No. 13 was dismissed and replaced.

"The question is whether the court can actually consider the Holy Spirit a third party to the analysis going on in the jury room," Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson said.

Brown's attorney argues it can't and there's a "substantial possibility the Holy Spirit was actually the juror's own mind or spirit" and comments made about the Holy Spirit weren't interfering with deliberations.

"He was basing whatever decisions he was going to make on the evidence and the court's instructions and we think that the court made a mistake when the court dismissed him," James Smith, one of Brown's attorneys, said.

"Based on my reading of this document. I'd say there's an excellent chance that it's going to be retried ultimately. But we have yet to see the government's response to this document," Carson said.

Brown’s attorneys also filed a motion for a judgment of acquittal, which they also did during her initial trial.

Cox Media Group