Most of the time power is used, it's to impose the death penalty
(NEWSER) - It sounds sensible, even merciful: Alabama judges are allowed to override the decisions of capital juries. Justice Thurgood Marshall, a staunch death penalty opponent, was in favor of the system, because it allows "someone who had seen more than one case" to make the ultimate decision, says one retired Mobile judge. But, contrary to what you might think, most judges don't take advantage of the system in order to protect defendants from a potentially vengeful jury—quite the opposite, in fact. More»
