Andersen Jury Deadlocked

Updated from 6:58 p.m. EDT

Faced with a deadlocked jury in the Arthur Andersen obstruction of justice case, a federal judge ordered the panel to continuing deliberating the case they have been considering for nearly a week.

Members of the jury -- which began deliberating about 9 a.m. Thursday -- told the judge late Wednesday afternoon they were "not able to reach a unanimous decision" after nearly 56 hours of deliberations. The jury communicated its deadlock to U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon through a note that a court official shared with reporters.

Andersen has been on trial for its auditing relationship with Enron, the energy concern that filed for bankruptcy last year amid a bookkeeping scandal. The accounting firm was charged with one count of obstruction of justice after admitting to shredding documents related to its work for Enron. The jury must determine whether Andersen intentionally destroyed documents to avoid possible criminal prosecution or as part of a coverup while the Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating numerous Enron practices. The jury heard nearly five weeks of testimony in the case. ...