In their own response, prosecutors restated their claim that without a public verdict, Karen Read was not acquitted on any charge.

The state's highest court may have to determine whether the jury in Karen Read's trial was truly deadlocked or led astray from acquitting her of murder. Why it matters: The high-profile Read case is raising broader questions about whether someone can be retried without it counting as double jeopardy.

The trial court had a clear path to avoid an erroneous mistrial: simply ask the jurors to confirm whether a verdict had been reached on any count,” the ACLU wrote.