Juries are for show. Judges can override anything a jury does with one exception. judge cannot impose a verdict of guilty in case a jury returns not guilty, in a criminal trial. In that case the judge can order a mistrial and retrial unil a jury delivers the verdict the judge wants.
So is this the case that goes to the SC to test NY Times v Sullivan?
You are wrong about a judge being to declare a mistrial if a jury declares a not guilty verdict.
A judge can declare a mistrial if the prosecutor hides evidence or their is a hung jury.