I am not sure if this is a growing trend but here is the second recent example of "divine intervention" during jury deliberations. While many people pray to God prior to making significant life decisions, few come out and say that God actually spoke to them during the deliberative process. The first example involved a juror in the Corrine Brown fraud case who told other jurors that the “Holy Spirit” told him Brown, a former member of Congress, was not guilty. This juror was subsequently removed. For more on that story go here. Now it appears that a judge in Texas stopped jury deliberations to inform jurors that God had personally told him of the defendant's innocence. Unfortunately, for the defendant, this pronouncement by the judge was not enough to prevent the jury from coming back with a guilty verdict. It remains to be seen what impact, if any, these religious epiphanies will have on appeal.
Satesman: Texas judge interrupts jury, says God told him defendant is not guilty